My Name is Molly
by Gummysaur
Summary: She doesn't know what the Operation is. She's too young to understand that the human race is crashing and that their only hope is to erase the memories of their children and send them off to a faraway world. She wont remember her parents, her friends, or her hobbies. All she has is herself. Yet are her memories-and the human race-truly sealed off forever?
1. Chapter 1

Molly clutched to her mother. The crowd was massive, and every single parent in the line was sobbing. She didn't understand what the tears were about; she was very young. She met eyes with her friend, Peanut Geralds. Peanut had mildly purplish-pink hair when she had tried to dye it for Halloween a couple of weeks ago, and she was wearing a red-and-black striped tee. Molly was short, even for her age. She wore a yellow shirt with a ribbon tied around her neck. She had short brown hair and rosy cheeks. She looked at her mother, who had tears running down her eyes.

"And the next lucky boy for the Operation is…Biff Herson?"

A tall boy with dark brown skin nervously stepped up.

"Great to meet you, Biff! Please go this way."

Molly didn't understand the Operation, or what it would do to her. She was starting to panic. She looked at her mother.

"I don't want to go. Can you come in with me?" Molly asked.

"N-no, sweetie. Only children can take the Operation. We…we're going to stay here." her mother made a sad smile.

"B-but…I don't want to leave you!" Molly cried.

"I'm sorry, my baby," she whispered. She hugged Molly.

All too soon, the male announcer walked up to the pedestal.

"Molly Hills?"

Molly screamed.

The men took her.

They dragged her into a spotless, sanitary room.

Two people in masks were sitting there with smiles. There was a bed between them.

"Hello, you must be Molly! What's your favorite candy?"

Molly sniffed. "G-gummy bears."

"Lucky you! We have a big jar of gummy bears." One of the people walked over to a shelf with tons of jars labeled "Caramels", "Chocolates", "Gum", and other sweets. She pulled off a jug named "Gummy Bears". She pulled out a crystal-clear gummy bear.

"Here you go!" the woman said cheerily, handing her said gummy bear. Molly may have been upset, but she didn't turn down the free candy. She bit into it and chewed.

"Ew, it tastes weird," Molly complained. As soon as the words were out, the gummy bear broke open and she felt a foreign liquid fill her mouth. The excessive said liquid made her instinctively swallow. There wasn't even time to panic. The world dipped below her feet and went black.

I~I~I~I~I~I

"…uhhh…"

"The Operation was successful."

"Phew."

Molly opened her eyes sleepily. The two women were staring back down at her. Molly sat up quickly.

"Where am I?" she asked. The women looked at her closely.

"Molly, do you know your last name?"

"Last name?"

"What's the name of your best friend?"

"Friend?"

"What are you doing in this room?"

"I-I don't know!"

"Perfect. You're good to go." One of the women pointed to a door in the back of the room. Molly walked through it and was greeted by rows of seats. Some had hippos snoring, some had squirrels talking. A faraway instinct in her brain was surprised for a fraction of a second, then she shook herself and sat in the back. She looked down and observed her wings.

_Wings?_

Again, there was that fleeting confusion that quickly passed. Molly settled in her seat and waited.

For who knows how long, animals trickled in. At one point, a blindingly pink-and-purple squirrel came through and sat next to Molly.

"Hiya!" the squirrel said cheerily. "I'm Peanut. Who are you?"

"P-Peanut?" Molly gasped.

"Your name is Peanut too?!"

"N-No, I'm Molly." the name Peanut had sounded so familiar. But from where? Then finally, the last animal walked in; a tall, blue horse with a white horn; and the train conductor boarded the room.

_Huh. So I'm on a train._

He began handing out slips of paper. Peanut looked at hers.

"Mine says Banana."

"Mine says Solaris." Molly remarked.

"These slips of paper contain the name of the town you will be going to. Do not lose them," the man ordered. Then he turned and went into the 'cockpit' of the train.

_Whoooosh!_

The train blast away quickly. For a second, the train was dark. And then it went into the open. There was a gigantic crowd full of screaming people, waving madly at the train. A neon-green sign caught her eye; it said "I LOVE YOU MOLLY." Molly was surprised. A moment later, a man grabbed the sign.

_Signs aren't allowed, _The voice in her head said quietly. This confused Molly again. Was she a movie star? Was this crowd for her? Why weren't signs allowed? The crowd shrieked and waved some more until the train descended into blackness again.

I~I~I~I~I~I

Molly squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths, looking around. The entire train was asleep except her, and the motion sickness was driving her insane. She would've looked outside the window to keep her nausea under control, but she couldn't see anything. Peanut snored quietly beside her. Molly puzzled over why she was in this train, puzzled over the crowd, puzzled over the neon-green sign. When she opened her eyes, a woman was checking each animal. Molly caught her eye.

"Oh!" the lady gave a surprised squeak. "You're still awake?"

"Er…"

"I thought the train conductor said the train vibrations were specifically engineered to lull everyone to slee-Oh!" she shuffled around a bit and cleared her throat. "You must be nauseous."

Molly winced and tried not to puke on the aisle, or, more distressingly, herself. The woman took a crystal-colored gummy bear from her pocket.

"Here, this is antinausea medication." Molly took it and almost put it in her mouth. Then she froze. Some deep gut instinct was screaming at her, shrieking, _do not eat that gummy bear! _

"Is something alright? Is that gummy bear…familiar at all?" the woman said nervously. "Oh gosh. I hope not. I don't want to re-do the operatio-Uhm! I mean…are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Molly mumbled, and put the gummy bear in her mouth. She may have tapped into that instinct and ignored the gummy bear, but she was about two-point-five seconds away from teaching the woman what she had for lunch today. She chewed, and then the gummy bear burst like a balloon. Molly gasped and some liquid spilled onto her shirt. She tensed up and swallowed nervously. _Wait, did I just swallow the rest of that gross stuff-Wait. Sleeping sounds like a really good idea…_

Molly sank into her chair and gave into the cold, silent darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop for Armor, stop for Armor!"

Molly shifted and yawned, her eyes blinking open. Five animals, an ostrich, rabbit, wolf, cat, and bear were shuffling towards the exit. The train went back into motion.

"What's going on?" Molly asked groggily.

"Sleeping Beauty wakes!" Peanut giggled. Then she paused. "Wait. Who's Sleeping Beauty again?"

"I don't think I'm that beautiful."

"You're soooo adorable. And lucky. Good thing you aren't one of those green hippos with facial hair. Yeeew!"

Molly laughed a little, when the train stopped again.

"Stop for Aurora, stop for Aurora!"

Five more animals got up.

The train resumed running.

Molly checked her slip. Judging by the way things were going now, the towns were in alphabetical order. Which meant it was going to take another nauseating hour or two before she reached her stop. Luckily, she could actually look out the window now. She got a glimpse of Aurora; it was an average-looking town. There were some scruffy peach trees here and there. The last thing she saw was a deer eating a peach, and the train whooshed away.

Molly chatted with Peanut about the smell of the train and the appearances of the animals around them.

"Look at that cub."

"The blue one?"

"No, the one with the beard. Yick."

The train halted.

"Stop for Banana, stop for Banana!"

Peanut stood up. "Well, this is my stop. See you around, Molly!"

Molly had a feeling she wouldn't see Peanut around ever again.

Four other animals got up. One of them was the gray cub Peanut had spoken about. Peanut looked stunned for a second, then exited the train. Molly waved madly, and Peanut smiled at her. Molly looked at the town of Banana. It wasn't anymore developed than Aurora; in fact, the only difference was that the trees bore apples instead of peaches. But closer inspection showed a pond or two and a long, winding river.

She caught a glimpse of Peanut observing a rock, and then the train sped away.

I~I~I~I~I~I

"Stop for Sky, stop for Sky!"

Molly struggled not to nod off. She had to stay awake. She had stopped glimpsing at the towns after a while; they were all the same. A native fruit, some ponds, a river, two buildings, and five houses.

There were much fewer animals on the train now. After about ten more minutes, Molly was about to give in to sleep when she heard the voice.

"Stop for Solaris, stop for Solaris!"

Molly jolted awake and stood up. She got a look at the other four that would be accompanying her.

There was a cat that had brown spots on her face.

There was a brown dog with an angry-looking expression.

There was a rabbit with freckles and blue ears.

There was a squirrel with a blue body and a white triangle on their forehead.

They all went towards the exit. Molly observed the town. The native fruit was cherries. There were two ponds. The river wasn't too winding or large, just average-sized. Molly stared at the train as it drove away slowly. Then she turned and faced the town. A dog ran out hurriedly out of the larger building.

"Hello! My name is Isabelle! I'm the temporary mayor of Solaris!" she chirped. Nobody asked her why her job was temporary. She looked at her clipboard.

"Purrl?"

"Present," the cat replied cooly.

"Butch?"

"Heya!" the dog barked.

"Pippy?"

"Here I am!" the rabbit cheered.

"Filbert?"

"H-huh?" the squirrel stammered.

"Molly?"

Everyone stared at her. Molly shifted her feet.

"Here," she said awkwardly.

"Great!" Isabelle clapped. "Tour around Solaris! Check out Main Street! Take some fruit, sell it to Reese! Make money! Go shopping! Buy some furniture for your houses!" Isabelle beamed at them, then guided each of them to their houses. Molly stood in front of hers. It was small, with an exterior that appeared to be made of straw. She walked in. It was dead empty, nothing in it at all except a bookshelf with a record player on top. She looked at the one and only disc inside it; a tune called K.K. Ballad. Next to the record player was a tiny, empty pot. Molly sighed. She was going to have to take the dog's advice and make some money, but first she wanted to check out her new town. Right outside her door was a patch of dandelions. Molly picked one up and walked back into her house. She placed the dandelion in the pot. She had no idea how to take care of it, but it looked somewhat nice next to the brown bookshelf. There were very few books inside it, however. She was going to have to buy a bigger bookshelf. She observed the house again, pleased to see it at least had some wallpaper and carpet.

Molly settled on the ground and yawned, not even wanting a bed, just to sleep.

_Not yet._

Molly went outside again and began harvesting cherries. Most of the other villagers were already doing so, and she didn't want to be left behind. Filbert, the squirrel, didn't look like he was planning on selling his cherries; he just kept popping them in his mouth happily. She went to the small, pink building labeled Re-Tail. Molly smiled at the name, then walked inside.

"Uh, how much could I get for all this?" Molly asked, showing her cherries. Reese sighed. Clearly, she had already gotten tons of cherries before.

"Hows 1,600 bells sound?" she said.

1600 bells! Molly had never heard of such a currency, but 1600 sounded like a lot!

"Wow! That sounds great!" Molly said cheerfully, and accepted the bells. Then she raced off to Main Street, eager to buy some furniture. There was a small, scraggly shack with messy scrawl saying "Nookling Junction". Molly entered. There was only one piece of furniture.

"Cat beat you to the other piece of furniture, a corn plant! (beat you, she did!)" a small voice behind her said. Molly whirled around and was greeted by a tiny raccoon in an apron.

"Names Timmy. Nice to meet you! (nice, indeed!)"

Molly disliked the way he talked. At first, his voice was loud and clear, but usually the last parts of his sentences were mumbled and irrelevant. However, it was quite literally in her nature to be polite.

"Hello. I'm Molly. Could I buy that sofa?" Molly asked, pointing to the striped orange-and-yellow couch. It didn't look very classic, but she'd take it. Better than sleeping on the floor.

"That'll be 3,600 bells, please!" the raccoon said eagerly.

"W-what?!" Molly spluttered. "That's a lot! I only have 1600 bells…"

Timmy smiled. "For you, this time only, I'm willing to sell it for that amount! After all, I'm guessing you have no furniture other than what my uncle provided! (no furniture at all!)" Molly nodded, relieved. She took it, and to her surprise, the sofa shuddered and turned into a leaf. For a second, she was stunned, then the feeling passed and holding a leaf that was secretly a couch felt completely normal.

"Thank you!" Molly said, and offered all her savings. At that moment, Butch burst through the door and Molly yelped.

"Furniture?" Butch demanded.

Timmy giggled. "Molly got it! (got it, indeed!)"

Butch groaned and promptly exited the shop in a huff, and Pippy burst in. She took one look at the two 'Sold Out' signs, and turned to the fishing rod for sale.

"I'll buy that," she sang, handing Timmy the bells. Molly was annoyed for half a second; buying a fishing rod would've been better in the long run. Oh well, at least she had somewhere semi-comfortable to sleep that night. And the sofa matched the bookshelf she owned. She exited the store and ran all the way to her house. She placed the sofa near the window so she could sleep by the stars, and snuggled into it. Someone like Butch may have had a hard time sleeping on it, but it was perfect for her size.

_Goodnight, Solaris._

Molly shut her eyes and drifted away.


	3. Chapter 3

_The peacekeeper yanked the neon sign from Molly's mother's grasp. She screamed and watched as the train vanished, terrified for her daughter. All that mattered was that she was safe. Suddenly, the plaza went silent as every adult stared up. A plane hovered by, looking utterly innocent. Inside the plane, however, was an alligator, touching a million controls. His stubby fingers landed on the large red one with crossbones on it. The bomb flew out towards the plaza. Strangers gripped each other, eyes shut, not bothering to pray. This bombing had been scheduled, planned to destroy everything before the plagues did first. The bomb flew down, closer to them every minute. The boy in the bright red shirt watched silently, terrified. He began to run. He began to run to the train. He leaped on the back of the train right before it descended into the tunnel, going so fast as it struggled to rip a hole in reality._

_And then the bomb hit._

_It slammed the ground, shuddered, and millions died instantly, exploding, debris raining everywhere, even getting inside the tunnel. Matter hammered the boy mercilessly, dusting his body in grit. He climbed into the compartment that held the food, feeling sick. _

_Minutes later, an attendant found him and began yelling. The boy was unsure if he was dreaming, since he was being yelled at by an ostrich, but the large bird tossed him out the window without a thought. He felt his body rush, rush so fast. And then he awoke to the sound of the train conductor yelling about a town. A town called Solaris._

Molly awoke early the next day, a trait she always had (although she had no memory of it). She exited her home, and saw to her surprise nobody was awake. She had the milky dawn light to herself.

Molly had to wait a little while for the Nookling Junction to open, so she was the first one in there. She picked out a gigantic bookshelf and a bug net. For a second, she felt slightly guilty for taking two things, but then she noted a large black-and-white bed, and hoped Butch would get it. Hopefully it would end his complaining about the fact he had nowhere to sleep.

Unfortunately, Butch awoke last, and Purrl beat him the the Junction, swooping the large bed, much to his frustration. He kept going on about how he had to sleep all night on the cold tiles again, now that Purrl had taken the bed he'd wanted. Purrl had lightly asked Filbert (who was also missing a bed,) if he would like to have a sleepover in celebration of moving to Solaris. This, of course, enraged Butch further, to make him yell even louder about his lack of furniture. Pippy just snickered, since her home had originally come with a plush, comfortable chaise lounge. Now, Molly was sitting at the plaza, staring at the clouds. Filbert was sleeping on the square of dirt in the center of it. Butch was ranting at Purrl over the checkered bed. Pippy was fervently chasing a leaf swirling in the air. Suddenly, Isabelle was on them, speaking a mile a minute.

"Slow down!" Butch barked. Isabelle looked stunned for a second.

"What was that?" Purrl asked, a million times calmer.

"Mayor…train…arriving…now!" Isabelle puffed, exhausted from her run to the plaza and her fast talking.

Filbert looked up and yawned. "I'm hungry."

"No time! No time! We need to gather outside the train station NOW!"

Pippy caught the leaf and cheered.

Molly squeezed her eyes shut. _Is everyone in this darn town insane?_

Isabelle was already racing off to the train station, yelling loudly about how they had to move now, now, now.

Purrl and Pippy dragged Filbert off to the train station, while Butch followed, muttering about something. Molly sighed and forced herself to follow them.

They waited at the small, pebbled area, and approximately five seconds later, a train arrived, and Molly heard Porter, the monkey who worked in the train station, yelling "Stop for Solaris, stop for Solaris!".

The air was still; even Butch was holding his breath. Molly tilted her head, struggling to hear what was going on, but ducks aren't renowned for their hearing abilities. Instead, the other animals (except Filbert, since he looked rather distracted,) could hear everything going on in there. Molly tried not to huff in frustration.

The mayor burst out of the station.

For a second, everyone was so taken aback they didn't say a word. Then Butch gasped, "We can't just stand here! Do something!"

_Thats…thats…_

Molly froze, completely unable to form words, much less a welcoming cheer.

_That's a _human_!_

Molly struggled to regain herself as the oddest sensation came over her. A human? What was so special about them? Why was she so stunned? They were just animals, like her. But something told her that humans had something more. Humans had a place in her body that she could never find, no matter how hard she searched; a jungle explorer raking through the vines, trying to find the extremely rare plant, unsure of which plant it was, with so many weeds and flowers taking root, tangling their feet, choking their legs…

Molly snapped back to reality when she heard Purrl practically shriek, "You GUYS!". The residents seemed to awaken from a slumber, then yelled in unison, "WELCOME, MAYOR!" with as much conviction as their foggy, déjá-vú-attacked brains could muster. The young boy standing before them looked utterly confused. He turned towards Isabelle.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered. "Wait, why are you all animals?!"

Isabelle laughed and wagged her finger in his face. "You can't fool me. Everything is as it should be! Now, we need to get started on your resident card, your house, your TPC…oh boy! We have lots of work to do!"

"What's your name?" Molly asked.

The mayor paused, flattening his shirt. It looked like it was once candy-red, but now it was a dull mahogany, traced with dirt, with a large faded-out number 1 on it. He was wearing rather banged-up, denim shorts. He had short, black hair, messy as the rest of him. His eyes had a exhausted, eerie quality that gave Molly the creeps. He had no shoes or socks whatsoever. Overall, he looked like a total mess.

"My name…I'm…" the mayor hesitated. "Liam Anderson."

"That's your whole name? Liam Anderson?" Filbert asked in surprise. "That's a long name. Well, I hope you have fun here, Liam Anderson!"

"_Mayor _Liam Anderson," Purrl corrected.

Liam Anderson went red. "Just call me Liam. That's my first name. Anderson is my last name."

"You have a backup name?" Pippy asked, sounding confused. "Why? In case you forget your first?" Liam looked surprised, then smiled and shook his head.

"Nevermind. Just call me Liam."

Molly listened to the exchange with interest. She liked the concept of a last name, but decided it'd be too complicated for her. Liam turned to his citizens.

"What are your names?" he asked. He still looked confused, but at least he was speaking clearly.

"I'm Filbert!" Filbert said cheerfully.

"I'm Pippy!"

"I'm Purrl."

"Name's Butch."

Liam turned at stared at Molly. "And you?"

Molly paused and stared at her mayor. She felt a wave of distrust towards him. He was not supposed to be here; she sensed it, and not just because he told Isabelle so. She had a deep gut feeling that humans weren't supposed to be here, in Solaris.

But she relented. She opened her bill and stared Liam in the eye. _You aren't welcome here._

"My name is Molly."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, author note here. I just wanted to clear something up; this story is NOT a creepypasta. The concept may be creepy, yes, but it's not supposed to be written or treated creepily. …Okay, maybe it will be a little creepy. Just a little.**

**Also, I know normals wake up a 6AM and the Junction opens at 8. Molly wakes up later; it's intentional. In case anyone bothered to notice o.o**

**And an answer to a review!**

**Set: Liam is supposed to resemble the SSB character, but he isn't the exact same. That's just how I pictured him. (and the SSB character has brown hair. Get your facts straight. /shot jk)**

**Enough from me…onto the story!**

Dreams attacked Molly that night. Visions of thousands of animals, imprisoned, screaming and crying. Visions of the neon sign being grabbed. Visions of long, rolling hills.

Hills. Anderson.

Molly jolted awake with a gasp. Her webbed feet were numb. She was sweating and panting. She shivered in cold and saw the window was open. She vaguely recalled opening it, but never closing it. She was grateful for the plush, warm couch and soft tune of K.K. Ballad to calm her. She would thank Tom Nook for the furniture.

Wait, Nook's store didn't open until 10AM. Oh well, she'd tried.

Since she was awake, she decided to get some more furniture. She opened her door and was greeted by a cold blast of air and a gloomy, gray sky. The air carried the heaviness that suggested rain. Molly was full-on shuddering now. She wished she had a nice sweater, but not only did she not own one, the clothing store wouldn't be open at this time of day. She began trekking to Main Street, when she noticed something strange. Where there had once been two cherry trees, there was now a roped-off area with a sign in front. Curious, Molly looked at the writing on the sign. It read:

_"This area is reserved for Jacques' new home. -Nook's Homes"_

Molly smiled. A new resident sounded fun. She wondered what he'd look like.

_Crunch._

Molly leaped and whirled around, stunned to see the mayor. He'd just stepped into a pile of leaves, explaining the onomatopoeia that had just happened. Her heart pounded, and not just because she wasn't used to seeing anyone when she awoke.

"You're up early," he said.

"I could say the same to you."

Liam smiled a little. "Why are you up?"

"Just my routine," Molly replied curtly. "And you?"

"Nightmares," he replied brusquely. Molly was slightly taken aback.

"Of what?"

Pain flickered in his eyes. He looked down.

"Nevermind. You wouldn't remember."

"I'm not one to forget things."

Liam raised his eyebrows and then broke off into a laugh. Molly was frustrated by this.

"And what do you mean, remember?"

"I mean, I had nightmares. About you. And everyone in this village. And the whole concept. But you don't know why, do you?" he said, saying the last part rather bitterly.

Molly froze.

_What?_

Nightmares? About _her? _About her friends? Concept of what?

A million responses went by her head, but she settled on, "I had them too."

Liam's head shot up.

"About a crowd. And the sign that woman held up. Did you see that?"

Liam looked stunned. "You remember the crowd? And the sign?"

"Uh…yes," Molly replied uncomfortably. She didn't like what was going on.

"You weren't supposed to see the crowd. Or the sign. But what do I care? Maybe they'll help you remember."

"Remember what?"

"Remember _us!_" He said with a sudden bout of rage. "Remember yourself! You used to love to draw, remember? Chalk was your favorite! You loved to bake cookies. You hated dust and liked cleaning your room. You had toys and your best friend was Peanut. Don't you remember, Molly _Hills?!"_

Molly began slowly backing away. _He's insane. He's crazy._

"We were friends, Molly," he rasped. "I was your friend. Remember the dandelions? How we met?"

He began walking up to her, causing her to recede faster.

"Don't you remember your brother who died from the plagues? My sister was lost, too. Can't you even remember them?" he began slowing, tears in his eyes.

Molly whirled around and raced to her house, completely forgetting about the Junction. She slammed the door shut, breathing heavily, when something caught her eye.

The dandelions. Sitting there on the innocent, classic table, with the pretty white lace on top. Weeds.

Without a thought, she strolled up to them and swept them aside, the clay of the flowerpot hitting the ground with a loud _crash! _Her whole body trembled as the medicine from the Operation fought furiously against the wave of memories, threatening to bear down on her mind. (She had no awareness of this, only the feeling of sheer confusion.)

Out of the memory tsunami, a small drop squeezed through the chink in the armor, the crack in the barrier that the Operation had created.

"Stop! Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Molly yelled to nobody in particular. She gasped, taking in air, when the thunder clapped and the rain began pouring. She formed one memory.

_"Hey! You! Look what I got!"_

_"Liam! Stop! My friends are around. They're gonna think you're my boyfriend or something gross. I don't even know you."_

_"But look. Seriously."_

He'd extended his hand, where there had been a dandelion, just blooming.

_"Wanna come over to my house? I have a whole ton in the backyard."_

_"…It's really pretty. But…"_

_"My mom bakes the best cookies ever."_

_"…Okay, fine."_

Then came a pounding headache, followed by the floor swooping beneath her. Somehow she ended up flat on her face.

"What's happening?" Molly gasped weakly. She let out a scream as lightning exploded outside and the entire world went dark.

I~I~I~I~I~I

_"What the heck happened?!"_

_"I like, have no idea! Filbert found her."_

_"W-well, I was walking along, eating some cherries, when I heard this creepy scream. I walked into her house and her dandelions were all over the floor and the flowerpot was broken! And she was DEAD!"_

_"She's not dead, she just passed out. Calm down."_

_"Purrl is right. Molly should be fine."_

Molly blinked open her eyes, and the world slid into view. She moaned and turned, greeted by a stabbing pain in her head and chest. Filbert stared at her and squealed loudly. The town's residents and the mayor were in Filbert's cramped house, staring at Molly.

"What happened?" she asked after a minute.

"You fainted or something. And your dandelions broke. You got shards of clay in your chest," Liam replied.

"Ooh." Molly looked down, seeing a rather large white bandage on her feathers. Then another shooting pain went through her skull and she winced. "Did I get some in my head, too?"

"No," Purrl replied. "Why?"

"I have the mother of all headaches," Molly grunted. She wasn't one to complain, so she shut up and stared at the ceiling.

"You scared us!" Butch practically shouted. "We thought you were dead!"

"No we didn't," Purrl and Liam said at the same time. Pippy raced over to Molly.

"I bought this for you," she said, holding up a blue bag.

"What's that?"

"It's all-cure medicine! …Well, sort of. It cures the sniffles and bee stings. But I bet it'll help you!" she said eagerly.

"Alright," Molly said, reaching for it, but Pippy snatched it away.

"You're sick; I have to feed it to you," she said importantly.

"I think she can handle it," Purrl sighed. Pippy ignored her and carefully placed a white pill in Molly's mouth. She swallowed it and coughed, sending pains through her entire body. _I wish I had some water with that._

Liam was eyeing her carefully. "Can I speak with her alone for a second?"

"How?" Butch said grumpily. "It's pouring rain outside and there's no second floor. Anything she hears, we hear."

Liam sighed and turned to Molly.

"Okay. But don't ask me any questions."

Pippy was staring curiously with a smile.

"I remembered," Molly whispered before he could speak. "The dandelions. And the cookies that your mom made."

Liam's eyes widened. His mouth broke into a smile.

But the world was going away again; pulling Molly away, like a mother tearing her child away from danger. Molly struggled to stay. To hold on.

"But I'm not…supposed to remember. My…can't…handle it…"

"What'd she say?" Pippy asked curiously.

"What the heck is she even talking about?" Butch said gruffly. If Molly had been more inhibited, she may have been inclined to respond. But her eyes were closing, her breath fluttering.

"We need…to undo…" Liam began saying something, but it was lost on Molly. Her eyes shut. And her consciousness was dragged away.


	5. Chapter 5

Molly awoke in Filbert's bedroom.

_What am I doing here?_

Confused, Molly observed the room. She'd never been in his house before. Was she dreaming? She heard a creaking sound and saw Liam open the door.

"Oh! Molly! You're awake."

"Uh-huh. What am I doing here?"

Liam laughed. "Nice one. Remembered anything else lately?"

Molly stared at him, confused still. Liam was waiting for a response.

"…Y'know? Remembering? How we met?" Liam said, his voice now more cautious.

"Oh, yeah. Of course I remember that," Molly replied.

Relief washed over Liam's face. "Good. Here, I made you some dandelion tea. In honor of…you know."

Molly took the small cup in her hands and took a sip. It was bitter, but she was so thirsty she didn't mind.

"Yeah, I remember how we met. It was just a day ago, Liam." Molly laughed. "What, don't _you _remember? You came off the train and we all cheered. Pretty hard to forget."

Liam's eyes widened in shock. "Wait…but you told me you remembered the real story."

Molly paused. "Huh?"

Liam's hands dropped to his sides and he lowered his head.

"You…forgot again," he whispered. "I thought you were different. I thought maybe…we had a chance to save you."

Molly looked at her cup. It was vibrating in her hands. She realized after a split second that the cup itself was still; her wings were the ones trembling.

"Well…if you feel better, you ought to get back to your house." his voice was different now, more brisk, more mayoral. "I gotta go. I've set up a yellow bench project and I want to have it done by tomorrow." He turned away and opened the door. "Oh, and a new resident has moved in, if you wanna say hi." The door shut.

Molly sat there and finished her tea. She carefully unwrapped her bandages. She sat on the couch, pondering her latest predicament. Apparently, she had lost memory of something. She tried remembering everything she could before she had woken up. She vaguely recalled spotting a plot for Jacques' new home, but everything after that was foggy. She got up and walked outside. The grass squelched under her feet, showing it had rained recently. Molly weaved her way back to her house, and was stunned to see Purrl inside, making the bed. Molly took in her home; it looked much different.

"Oh, you're back home. I've been the caretaker of your place while you were out; buying furniture and keeping out the cockroaches."

Molly nodded. "Thank you. It looks really nice."

The room indeed looked different. There was a bed now, for starters, which Purrl had just finished making. Second, there was a small brown desk with paper and ink on it. Molly counted up the new furniture. She must've been out for at least day.

"Liam came in and replaced the dandelions for you," she added.

"Replaced? What for?"

"Well, I don't know if you have a severe case of short-term memory or what, but you kind of smashed them on the floor and then passed out," she said drily. She fluffed the pillow one last time and moved towards the door. "If you're feeling well enough to come all the way here, you can take care of your house. See you around." Purrl scooted out and strolled away. Molly stood there, dumbfounded. She had smashed her dandelions and passed out? Perhaps she did have short-term memory. Oh well, she might as well say hi to the new resident.

I~I~I~I~I~I

"Hey…"

"Uh, hi."

Jacques was inside his home, taking a swig out of a bottle of something. He was a navy blue bird, a bit taller than Molly, wearing a red flannel shirt. He had sleepy sea-green eyes and a green beanie. He was also completely wiped out on a black sofa with a metal frame. The fact that he wasn't packed in boxes confirmed that Molly had been passed out for two days.

Jacques drank more and puffed. "Zut alors! This is some pretty weak apple cider. You guys don't have any wine though, kind of sucks. Oh well. Who're you?"

"Molly. Quackidee."

Jacques burst out laughing. "Quackidee?"

Molly paused. "Er…" Truth was, she somewhat always had the urge to say that, but kept it in. Must've popped out that one time.

"No matter, zut alors. Want some apple cider? It's got no-" Jacques hiccuped and chuckled. "-no pep to it. Totally flat. Totally gross. But everyone in this town's kindof flat, 'cept for the feline. She's cute. The dog is trying too hard to be tough. The squirrel…do I even need to say? Heh. Dunno 'bout you. You've been wiped out in the squirrel's house for a while. Doin' something naughty, huh? I know, heh. Been to Club LOL too many times, got a lil' dizzy, woke up in Fuchsia's house, no idea how I got there. Whoops. Heh."

Molly backed away. "Er, his name is Filbert. Also, are you okay? You look pretty tired." _And you sound like you've just been inhaling carbon dioxide._

"Been ridin' on a train all afternoon yesterday and just finished unpacking. I'm exhausted. Thanks for helping a guy out." Another chuckle. "See you 'round, Molly. I need to crash for a lil' while." Jacques yawned, stretched, and began snoring on the couch. Molly watched for a moment, then left the house quietly. She began taking the familiar stroll to Main Street. She decided to explore a little.

The street was very unimpressive, holding only five buildings. One was the small shed that she had went to every day; the Nookling Junction. To the right of that was a building slightly larger with a fenced-off roof area, the Able Sisters. And to the farthest corner was a large, impressive museum. According to Pippy, it had nothing in it, which was rather disappointing. On the left, however, sat a humble post office and Nook's Homes. Anything else on the left had "do not enter" signs, fences, chains, and boards to keep out citizens. In the farthest corner, there was a fenced-off area, which she observed carefully. She wondered about Jacques. He had spoken about a building called Club LOL. She yawned and decided to rest on the bench to the far left. When she'd walked over there, she was surprised to see Liam sitting there. Talking.

"Ugh…what am I gonna do here? Everyone home is dead. I should be dead. Hell, I should've _gotten _the damn Operation! Everyone here seems so happy, so oblivious! It's so unfair, dammit!" Liam threw up his head to the sky in despair. Then he lowered it and sighed, staring off into the ocean uncomprehendingly. "What am I supposed to do here? None of them will ever remember. Am I totally insane? I'm sitting here talking to myself. I hate everything, son of a-"

"Are you alright? You sound pretty frustrated."

Liam leaped up a foot, and whirled around. His face flushed red.

"Er…I'm not crazy," he said first. Then he smiled and gave a nervous laugh. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Uh…I just got here," Molly replied. No point in embarrassing him.

"Well, nice to see you, Molly." Liam turned back to the sea. "Tired?"

"I guess." Molly cupped her elbows (If ducks do indeed have elbows) and pulled them close to her body. "Hey, it's cooling off. Aren't you cold?"

Liam stayed silent, not responding to her.

"Are you cold?" Molly repeated.

"A little, I guess. Time to go home. Want to come with me?" Liam asked, standing up carefully and swinging his arms. Molly shrugged and nodded.

The walk back to Liam's home was uneventful. When he opened the door, he hesitated, and looked at Molly.

"I just kind of want you to think about something," he began quietly. "Who are you?"

He stared at Molly intently. Molly was stunned.

"Come to me when you get the answer."

The door shut.

The wind blew.

The question thrashed around in Molly's mind.

_Who am I?_


	6. Chapter 6

Molly awoke for the third time that night. She groaned in frustration, and gave up on trying to accomplish a good nights rest. Luckily, the sun was rising, and she had to get up anyway. She swung her legs over the large bed and opened the door. Cool morning air blew into her house, inviting itself in. Molly squinted her eyes against the unwelcome houseguest, and swiftly walked outside and shut her door to prevent any other disturbances. The door slammed shut and suddenly Molly remembered she left the key in her house. Molly huffed in annoyance; she had locked herself out in the cold, muggy air.

_Gosh darnit._

Molly sighed and decided to take a walk, maybe go bug-hunting. Halfway around the town, she spotted Liam weeding the ground. He was muttering some choice words at a particularly tricky clover.

"Hey."

"God dammit, this weed is going to drive me-oh, hey." Liam stood up, his hair ruffled. "How're you?"

"Cold and tired. And I locked myself out of my house," Molly replied.

Liam chuckled, that familiar soft laugh that he only gave when Molly was around.

"That sounds crappy. Better tell Nook when his shop opens up." his face contorted into a mask of annoyance. "Nook, that bell-stealing raccoon in an apron. Do you know how much a one-room tiny house costs?"

"Uh…no?" Molly said, wrapping her wings around her body in an attempt to warm up.

"It costs ninety-eight thousand bells. Ninety-eight thousand! How much am I getting paid to weed the town? Zero bells. But I'm bored and Jacques is complaining about the weeds, something about his inner peace, so here I am." Liam huffed, got back down on his knees, and tugged harder at the clovers.

"Ow!"

Liam looked up quickly, rubbing the back of his head. On the ground was a sack of one-thousand bells exactly.

"There. Thanks for weeding the town."

Liam looked stunned for a moment, then took the bag. "Thanks."

Molly turned around and began walking away.

"Hey, can I tell you a story?"

Molly paused and turned around. "Huh?"

"A story."

"Well, okay." Molly awkwardly took her place on the dirt next to Liam.

"Once upon a time, humans were the only species that could talk or wear clothes. If a parrot spoke, or a dog wore a wig, it was because of us. I went to school. There was a girl there who was also named Molly. She even looked a little like you." Liam smiled. "I had a platonic crush on her. All my friends joked about it, but didn't tease me, believe it or not. One day I invited her over." Liam hesitated. His mouth was frowning now. "We became friends. We became best friends. One day, her brother got sick. One day, her brother got very sick. The next day, her brother was gone. Molly was hurt. Molly was very sad about this. So I comforted her. I told her it would be alright."

"Well, the government saw that everyone was getting sick. A plague was going around. Scientists worked day and night and confirmed that this plague would destroy the human race. So the government took almost all the children, the future of the nation, and gave them all an operation."

At the word 'Operation', Molly felt a stabbing pain in her head. She lifted her wings and rubbed her temples. Liam paused and observed her quietly. Then he continued.

"This wasn't any old operation. They decided to simply call it the Operation, since that was what it was. This Operation took humans and turned them into animals."

The world was starting to swoop at Molly's feet. She felt nauseous.

"They lined up children and tested them for the plague. Almost everyone got through. If you tested negative, woohoo, you got to go ahead and get the Operation. If you tested positive…well, sucks for you, you have to stay behind. And die." Liam's voice suddenly went dry and cracked. He hesitated a long time before continuing, and Molly was glad, because black spots were starting to show up in her vision.

"I tested positive." Liam stopped there and abruptly got up. "You alright? You look a little pale."

"I'm really tired," Molly responded. Now that Liam had stopped talking, she was slowly feeling better.

"You better go to Nook's and tell him that you're locked out."

"It's 9AM, Liam."

"Well…the Junction should be open, and they're Nook's nephews. They could probably get him." Liam yawned and started towards his house.

"Oh, another resident moved in, by the way. Name's Biff."

"Biff?" Suddenly Molly gasped and keeled over.

"Molly!" Liam raced over to her. "Are you alright?"

Molly didn't respond at first, her eyes squeezed shut. Then she gasped, "I…don't…know…!".

Liam's eyes narrowed. "Don't pass out. Don't pass out. I didn't tell you everything that happened for you to forget."

"What? That makes no sense." Molly sunk to the ground, her eyes still closed, fighting against the raging pain in her head. Her heart pounded.

"What's going on, lil' hare?" Molly heard a cheerful voice. She dared to crack open an eyelid, and the sun filled her entire vision, feeling ten times brighter than before.

"Wait! Like, WHAT is going on?!" the happy yell from earlier quickly changed into a stunned shout.

"Nothing, Molly's fine," Liam called back.

"I don't feel like it…" Molly grumbled. Suddenly, she felt tendrils pull her down. The lost sleep from the night before was pounding in her mind, and she felt exhaustion take over. She sunk lower, relaxing. The clouds in the sky parted and a warm sun lulled her to sleep. _Time for a nap…_

Hands jolted her back to reality. "Don't pass out! Stay conscious!"

Molly's eyes widened and she took several deep breaths. After a minute or so, she slowly, slowly, sat up.

"Like, what the heck just happened?" Pippy was in Molly's face.

"Er…she was sitting down and got up too fast," Liam replied.

"Oh, okay!" Pippy beamed at Molly. "I'm going fishing, wanna come?"

"I'd love to, but…I don't have a rod," Molly lied. Truthfully, the last thing she wanted to do was listen to the rabbit whine about being unable to catch anything.

"Aw." Pippy temporarily drooped, then jumped up again. "Oh well! See you around!" She skipped off to the beach.

"Liam…what just-"

"I'll explain it later. You can't handle the truth right now." Molly opened her mouth to object, but Liam shook his head. "No, I mean it literally. If I told you, you'd pass out."

"Is it that bad?" Molly said, her stomach lurching.

Liam didn't reply. "I'm going to get Nook to open your door. Stay here, and do _not _fall asleep." With that, he was off.

Molly sat there, puzzling over what just happened. Was she ill? Or-

And then the memories came pouring in, one by one.

_"I mean, I had nightmares. About you. And everyone in this village. And the whole concept. But you don't know why, do you?"_

_"Remember yourself! You used to love to draw, remember? Chalk was your favorite! You loved to bake cookies. You hated dust and liked cleaning your room. You had toys and your best friend was Peanut. Don't you remember, Molly_ _Hills?!"_

_"Hey! You! Look what I got!"_

_"Liam! Stop! My friends are around. They're gonna think you're my boyfriend or something gross. I don't even know you."_

_"But look. Seriously."_

"It was…a dandelion," Molly whispered. Her eyelids drooped.

_"Wanna come over to my house? I have a whole ton in the backyard."_

_"…It's really pretty. But…"_

_"My mom bakes the best cookies ever."_

_"…Okay, fine."_

Molly gasped, panting in the effort to stay awake.

"Stay awake, don't pass out, stay conscious, stay here…," Molly huffed. Her efforts, while brave, were futile. She shut her eyes. The headache returned, hammering against her head. It felt like there was someone in her brain, screaming and pounding the walls, trying to escape.

"Liam…" Molly called weakly, faintly. "Liam…I'm going to…pass out," Molly tensed, and relaxed.

_Good night._

And then a force was thrown upon her, so sudden she instantly jerked awake with a sputter.

"'Ey there, Molly. Y'seemed in a bit of a pickle here. You're all right, right? Am I right?"

Molly opened her eyes. Jacques was sitting on top of her.

"What the heck are you doing?" Molly grunted.

"Dunno. You looked pretty yuck, so I said, 'Ey, she might need some help."

"You're not helping." Despite the words, Molly knew Jacques had kept her awake. She had a terrible feeling that if she fell asleep, she wouldn't wake up, what with the racket Liam was making.

"Righ', righ'. Heh."

"Get off me."

"Surrrrrrrre." Jacques got up and snickered. "Good morning, by the way. Nice town." With that, he strolled off. Molly sat up.

_I need to figure out what's going on. Something's not right here._


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! Another author's note here! **

**Just wanted to say thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm really glad so many people appreciate my story! I just want to know though…would you guys appreciate it if this was a short and sweet story? Or would you like a hella long multi-chapter fanfic? xD I can't decide how I want it to end…I have two good ideas, but they both have big flaws. D: Oh well, I bet nobody cares; enough from me! Onto the story!**

"Great to meetcha! My names Biff!"

Biff, a brown-and-cream colored hippo, pumped Molly's hand (wing?) up and down.

"An' I love working out! And racin', squirt!" he smiled a large, toothy grin. "An' who're you?"

"Uh..I'm Molly," Molly replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Ye-haa!" Biff pumped his fists. "Maybe we can run around town together someday! You look like you'd run pretty fast!" he flexed his biceps. "But you're a lil' scrawny. We need to design a work out regimen!"

"Er, that sounds nice. I guess," Molly stuttered. "So, er…I have some…errands to run. See you around!" Molly promptly exited the house. She couldn't help but sigh. Jacques was bad enough, but now this? It seemed all the residents were all quite…_exotic, _to say the least. Molly seemed to be the only normal one. Oddly, the words _normal _and _Biff _were making her head swim. She shook herself and went to her house, deciding to take a nap.

Dreams swarmed her thoughts that night, but she only had one she remembered. It was Liam, standing on an unfamiliar field. He looked at Molly and smiled. Molly felt weird in this dream; her wings felt oddly bare, and when a cool, pleasing breeze blew, the feeling of her feathers ruffling was not there. Liam leaned in.

Molly paused, and the words leapt from her mouth before she could stop them.

"I only want to be friends."

Liam paused, his eyes widened. "I wasn't going to kiss you."

Molly felt a smile across her face. Confusion swept over her. It was as if someone was controlling her; no, it was like she was merely watching inside this person's body.

_Person?_

Molly wished to look down at her hands and see if it was true-if she was human-but for some reason, her head wouldn't look down.

"I…wanted to tell you something." Liam leaned in closer. His lip brushed her ear and Molly tensed. _What the heck!_

"My dad works for the government, you know? And, well, I found out through some papers under his desk…that the Operation isn't just to save us. They're looking for a new world, Molly!" He pulled back, his eyes shining. "There was a lot of weird stuff about holes and stuff, but…one part said that-"

Molly awoke with a jolt.

_Ow ow ow ow._

It felt like a headache had broken into Molly's house, jumped into her brain, and thrown a New Years party complete with sledgehammers and wrecking balls.

Molly rubbed her temples, and thought about her brain's newest offering. An odd part of her dream was that it wasn't hazy, or foggy, or weird like most dreams. It felt like a memory, almost; half-real, but so long ago you wonder _did that really happen?_

"I'm going crazy," Molly grumbled. Of course it wasn't a memory. Was she insane? She forced herself up, and took some of the medicine she kept in her classical wardrobe. Then she took a deep breath and picked up the violin she had received from Liam (for unknown reasons), and picked up the bow.

The house was dead silent.

Molly closed her eyes.

And the violin sang.

Molly drew the bow across the strings, feeling the sound pour out. Her body relaxed, the headache backed off, as her wings acted on their own.

The sound was not even impressing Molly. She was in another dimension; a violet-tinted world were a rainbow occasionally appeared where a note hit high, or rushing streams where the notes went low.

Molly didn't even know she was singing until she heard her voice crack. She cleared her throat, not even pausing on the violin, and started again. She explored the purplish realm, drank the low-note water and observed the high-note rainbows, and inhaled everything in between; the G flowers, the D rocks; the A clouds and the E trees.

In a second, the world shattered, the bow screeched to a stop, her voice cut off by a beat. An insistent knocking at the door.

Molly gasped, as if surfacing from underwater.

_I can play the violin?!_

This realization hit Molly like a truck and she started trembling. She forced herself to stop (or at least tried) and answered the door.

"Oh, Liam, hey-"

"Was that you playing?" he asked, his eyes wide. "The violin?"

"Hello to you too," Molly muttered. Raising her voice, she said, "Yes, that was me. Guilty as charged."

"How-I thought-you…"

"Yeah, I had no idea I could play either. Did…it sound okay?" Molly asked, rather shyly.

"Okay?!" Liam's eyes widened further. "That was…incredible." His eyes were shining, large as pie bowls. Just like in her dream.

"It was the same piece you played…last year…at the concert." his eyes were shining unnaturally now; was he…

"Liam," Molly ventured cautiously, "are you…crying?"

"Shit," Liam sniffed. "No."

"What?"

"What?"

"What was that you said before?"

"Uhh, the concert?" Liam shifted his feet.

"No, right before you said 'no.'"

Liam's face flushed red.

"Er, nothing," Liam stuttered. "It's…kind of…not nice to say."

"What, shit?"

"Don't say that!" he broke off into laughter. "Oh my god, a little brown duck just cussed at me, I think I've finally lost it!" Molly just stared at him, making him laugh harder.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Uh, I guess I came to say nice playing skills."

"Well, thanks, quackidee." Molly slapped her forehead. "Ugh, did I say that again? It's starting to drive me crazy. I need a new catchphrase."

"How about…" Liam smiled. "How about…Hills?"

"What? Hills? That's a weird-"

"I dunno. I think it…fits you." Liam didn't explain further. Molly opened her mouth (bill?), wanting to tell him about her dream, but the memory of him leaning in, his closeness, his lips touching her ear; it shut her up. **(AN: Don't get any ideas, you dirty-minded butts. Ones a duck and ones a human. Granted, Avery dated Snake…Oh nevermind…)**

"Well, see you around, Molly." he turned to leave, then stopped.

Molly stepped out of her house and shut the door, making sure to keep the key with her this time. Something brushed her feathers. She turned quickly.

"Hey, I-How did you play that violin?"

"Do you have a violin obsession?"

"No, I mean…you don't know how to play. At least, you don't now. You used to."

"When? What are you-" Molly lurched back. The headache was returning. "Every time I talk to you, I get a headache. It's weird." Molly froze, realizing how cruel that sounded out loud. "Oh, I didn't mean…you don't talk a lot…not that I was implyin-"

"I get it. Don't worry." Liam grinned. "And I know why, too. But I can't tell you now, it'd probably…knock you out or something. Gotta take it slow." Liam nodded quickly, and waved.

"See you around for real this time," he called. "I gotta go. Filbert's come down with a cold, I'm gonna get him some medicine."

Molly waved faintly. She stared at his back, wondering why he didn't tell her the reason behind her headaches, the reason behind her suddenly becoming Paganini.

She decided to ignore it.

For now.

**Guess what, I don't play the violin, I'm actually a piano player! I had to search up like three things to write this chapter ._. Oh well! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hullo, quick authors note here. In case anyone noticed, you might have seen my new cover for the story! My sister made it for me. If you want to check her out, her dA is Kimikohi (I'd post a link, but Fanfiction doesn't like links very much). Onto the story... (And guess what, this chapter is twice as long as normal! And something actually HAPPENS!)**

Molly awoke feeling better rested than normal. She sat up, stretched, and yawned. She leapt out of bed and prepared herself a breakfast of cherries and some bananas that Liam had received from an island and was carefully growing on the beach. It was sweet and delicious, and she found herself humming the tune of K.K. Ballad, while eyeing the violin. _No more of that, _she thought. _No more paranormal stuff. No more headaches. I'm sick of it._ She took the violin and shoved it in her wardrobe. She pulled out her fishing rod. _I'm going to be a normal villager. I'm gonna dig up fossils, eat some cherries, and fish for fish. Treat Liam as the mayor, not a close friend. In fact, speaking of friends, I've been kind of cold to everyone lately. I think I'll pay Pippy a visit._

Molly took her rod and exited the house, smiling at the world. She strolled to Pippy's house. Smoke billowed from the chimney. Molly knocked three times and waited. The door flung open.

"Hey there, li'l hare! What's up?"

"Sorry for coming so early. I was bored and wanted to chat. I haven't talked to you lately."

"Awesome! Come on in!" Pippy gestured madly into her house, and Molly obeyed.

"Nice place you have," Molly said in wonder. She observed the fancy kitchen island and chaise lounge.

"That kitchen was a gift from Nook, Timmy told me. He said that they don't sell those anymore and it's real rare," Pippy said importantly.

"The music's nice too," Molly replied, taking in the house,

"Oh, yeah! I love to dance to it! Want to dance with me? We can drink punch! Or orange juice! Hmm, Solaris doesn't have oranges, though. Ooh! How about cran-cherry punch? Urgh, we don't have cranberries, either. Oh well! We can always…" the rabbit talked endlessly, and Molly was getting dizzy.

"Why don't we just…bake a pie?" Molly bursted.

"OOOOOOOOOH! You got the right idea, li'l hare! A pie! A banana pie! An _upside-down banana cream pie_!" Pippy jumped up and down. "I'll get the dry ingredients, you can get the wet ones. Don't worry, I don't mind you looking through my stuff!" Pippy rocketed off to her fridge. Molly walked over more slowly, and took out some eggs. Pippy sang some kind of song while picking up the flour.

"That sounds nice, where's it from?" Molly asked.

"From?" Pippy's face contorted into confusion. "…Y'know…I'm not sure…I think it's…" Pippy trailed off, and for the rest of the ingredient-gathering, she stayed silent. She didn't say anything until the batter was in the oven.

"Thanks for coming over, Molly. It was fun!" the old cheer was back in her voice.

"Yeah, it was fun to be here. I ought to get going though."

"Not until the pie's done!" Pippy pouted.

"Alright," Molly replied.

They watched TV until the oven _dinged! _and raced over, taking in the wonderful smell. Just then, the door produced a familiar knocking noise.

"I'll get it!" Molly said, already running for the door. Her morning with Pippy made her bubbly and peppier than normal. To her surprise, Liam was standing there.

"Molly?" he said in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"We just baked a pie!" Pippy yelled from the back of the house. "Want some?"

"No thanks. Smells great, though!" Liam called back. "I caught that goldfish you wanted."

"EEEEEEE!" Pippy raced to Liam and took the fishbowl from his hands. "I think I'll name him…" Pippy paused. "…Twinkle Twinkle. Twinkle for short," Pippy said finally.

_Those words sound familiar, _Molly thought. Then she recalled the song Pippy sang earlier; the lyrics had been _twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are._

"T-that's a nice name," Liam stammered.

"Here, I gotta thank you," Pippy insisted. "Here." Pippy placed three small cubes of pie in his hand.

"Oh, thanks." he ate one and chewed contentedly. A smile spread on his face. "Tastes like home."

"That's good, right?" Pippy asked worriedly.

"Definitely. It's the best taste of all."

Pippy broke into a grin.

"Ohmygosh, really? I've never baked with someone else, but Molly is super good at it! I was just sooo sick of cherry pie, and I'm really glad you got those bananas from that island! I wonder what home tastes like. OH. MY. GOSH. Have you like, eaten a HOUSE before?! Ha! Just kidding. But really, you haven't eaten a hou-"

"Molly, can I talk to you for a second?" Liam interrupted.

"What? Sure." Molly was too busy eyeing those delicious banana-cream-pie-cubes.

As if reading her mind, Pippy plopped three into Molly's hands (wings).

Molly grinned at her, and left the house.

"What now?" Molly asked, popping a cube into her mouth.

"So, uh, I want to know if you've remembered anything. That probably sounds weird. Or if-"

"You know what, Liam?" Molly snapped. "I don't care. I'm sick of you stalking me. Every time we meet up, you always go on about 'remembering' and these weird stories, and I'm sick of it. I just want to be a normal villager here. Everywhere I turn, you're there. From now on, I'm just a resident, and you're the mayor. Period."

Liam's face hardened, and Molly suddenly regretted her words. She had been too harsh. But Liam's next words surprised her.

"You want the whole story?" he said coldly. "Fine. I'll tell you the whole story." Molly had intended to stick to her resolve, but she had so many unanswered questions that she was curious.

"Pippy, I need to talk with Molly for a little while. Is it okay if I take her?" he called into the house.

"Totally! In fact, I think Jacques should be coming over in…EEEEK! Like, five minutes! I've totally, like, gotta set up, li'l hare!" Liam sighed and shut the door.

He grabbed her wing. "Come on. Lets get to the beach. Nobody else can hear this." Molly tensed. She was nervous now.

He led her to the beach, and checked no one was there.

Liam turned back to Molly. His eyes seemed to burn. His first sentence, the superficial sentence, not even deep into the story, only scraping the tip of the iceberg; stunned Molly, and was unsure if she could be the 'normal citizen' she wanted to be with this information.

"You used to be a human."

"_WHAT?!" _Molly yelled. Then she whirled around, hoping no one heard.

"You were a human. Everyone in this village used to be a human. Remember that story I told you when I was weeding the town? It was true. It wasn't just a story. And the other Molly I was talking about…was you."

Molly stared at him, dumbfounded. He launched into an explanation.

"The Operation was performed to lock away memories in a far part of your brain, not erase them. In order to erase them, it would involve actually removing part of your brain, and nobody wanted to risk that." Liam picked up a stick and drew a diagram in the sand. It was a vertical line; on the right side was a triangle, on the left was a circle.

"This circle represents your memories," Liam said, "and the triangle represents the memories you've made while living in Solaris. The line represents the medicine."

"The wh-" Molly started, but Liam held up a finger.

"The medicine is incredibly high-tech. It treats your old memories-your circle-as a virus. If a memory leaks through the barrier, the medicine senses it, and starts reacting to it. That's the reason behind your headaches," Liam explained. Molly listened in wonderment. "However, if too many memories start flowing in at once, the medicine freaks out and knocks you out. If you're not awake, you can't remember things, so the medicine repairs the hole you broke in the barrier."

"Lets say I want to transfer your memories over to the other side. If I start telling you about your old life, forcing you to remember, it'll be too much. You'll get knocked out, and you'll forget everything I told you."

"That's what happened the first time, right?" Molly asked.

"Yep. I started telling you all these things about your old life, and all that stuff happened. Now I know we have to go slowly if we want to bring all your memories back."

"Why would I want them back?"

"Because once all the memories are safely on the other side, the Operation will undo itself."

"Does that mean…" Molly choked out, unable to finish.

"Yes," Liam whispered. "You'll be human again."

Molly tensed and began shivering. _A human! I'll be a human…_

"Thats my plan," Liam continued. "Now…" he erased the line, and drew a thick wall instead. "…lets treat the medicine as a wall. Lets pretend I'm your memories. I live on the circle, you live on the triangle. I want to see you, so my plan is to start hammering on the wall until I can fit through it and see you."

Molly wished he would stop. Her head was swimming, and now that she understood what that meant, she was nervous to pay attention. She didn't want to forget all this information.

"If I hammer the hell out of that wall, you'll be like 'What the heck are you doing to my wall?' and you'll make me go away and repair the wall."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I think you would, if I got an axe and started banging on your house in the middle of the night. Anyway, if I hammer at it slowly, and make small holes, you won't notice until the hole is big enough for me to go through. Same with the medicine. If we transfer a very small memory at a time, the medicine wont sense it; it isn't sensitive enough." he let out a huge breath. "There. Satisfied?"

"How the heck do you KNOW all that stuff?" Molly blurted out.

"I snooped. My dad worked in the government, and he got all the reports on it. I found the papers and emails under his desk."

Molly froze. Breathing was hard. "That's…true?"

"True? Did someone tell you?" Liam said incredulously.

"No. It was a dream." Reality hit Molly and she felt sick. "It was a memory, Liam. Me and you…on a field…you told me that. Something about new realities and worlds?"

Liam's face turned pink. "Oh…that…" he was silent for a moment. Then his head shot up and Molly jumped.

"I forgot about the whole different worlds thing!" Liam shouted. He lowered his voice. "That's a pretty important bit. But I don't think I can tell it to you yet. I've already said too much. You're probably on the verge of passing out." Liam sighed. "You should go do normal stuff."

"Can I take a nap?"

"No way. If you do, you'll still forget. It doesn't have to be forced."

"Oh." Molly noticed that she had left the upside-down banana cream pie cubes in her wings, and now the cream was melting all over her feathers.

"Ew. I guess I'll take a bath," she said, popping the last cubes in her mouth.

"Right. See you around, Molly." Liam got up and slowly walked away. Molly viewed him in a completely different light now. Gone was the human boy who didn't belong here, gone was the frustrated kid who talked to himself. Now, there was a person who had spent a years of time as Molly's friend, months of chats and nights to go out to ice cream, weeks of sleepovers, days of parties.

And Molly remembered none of it.

I~I~I~I~I~I

Molly tentatively reached for the violin.

_Just take it, _she told herself. _It's not like you'll ever be able to be normal. _

Molly tried to imagine herself as a human, but it seemed too utterly unnatural. A duck is what Molly felt like. _It's just the medicine telling you that._

Molly picked up the violin and unconsciously began playing. This time, instead of losing herself, she payed attention to the music.

_Listen, Molly. Do you remember playing this piece? Do you remember practicing it?_

Molly closed her eyes, the music slowing. A memory was trying to break through the barrier; Molly urged it on. She could feel it, tickling her mind as it tried to escape its prison.

Bits and pieces of a memory, a dream, perhaps, came floating to her. Not a full sequence, just flakes of snow in a blizzard. A crowd, watching expectantly. A deep breath. Liam's smile and a thumbs-up. Thundering applause. A big grin.

Molly gasped and fell back onto the bed, the violin screeching to a halt. That one memory had squeezed past, and now all the others wanted to join it. Molly pressed her wings against her temple to fight against them. In stark contrast to just a second ago, instead of trying to help the memories along, she was resisting them. _You're going to have to wait another day, old Molly. I can't remember now. It's too much…_

In a minute, the memories stopped fighting, and hung back. Molly paused, waiting for the headache to return, the aching drowsiness. But it was done. For now.

Molly sat on her bed for a while, watching the slow arc of the sun. Normally, she'd like to digest what just happened, but she knew better. She had to resist or else she'd pass out; she had to convince the medicine she was complying with it.

Shakily, Molly stood up and took a deep breath. Even if it felt unnatural, even if the headaches were too painful, even if she did end up passing out, she would follow through. She would become human again. In the end, it would all be worth it.

Hopefully.


	9. Chapter 9

Molly awoke, a scream leaving her beak. She gasped, her wings shaking. It took her a minute to realize it had been a dream.

Molly let out a shuddering breath and rocked back and forth. She didn't move for a long time.

In her dream, Molly had watched the doctors perform the Operation on Liam. He kept begging for help, even though he was supposed to be anesthetized, but Molly couldn't move her feet. His screams had been reduced to painful whimpers and the occasional _please._ When he had sat up, Molly took one glimpse of his face; a patchwork of fur and feathers and skin; a beak, hooves, fangs, and a long tail. Then she had awoken.

Finally, Molly stood up. She shook herself. _On three, you stop being a wuss. One, two, three._

Molly did her usual daily routine of preparing her breakfast and playing a quick tune on the violin. She then went outside, surprised to see everyone awake.

"Hey!" Pippy called cheerfully, bouncing over to Molly. "You've been asleep all day! Someone new moved in! I gotta introduce you."

Pippy dragged Molly into a quaint house, Molly still blinking sleep from her eyes.

Inside was a red-and-black dog, busily opening packages and moving furniture.

"Oh! Hey, what what!" She grinned and shook Molly's wing.

"I'm Cherry!"

"Helllo. I'm Molly."

"The town is great, what what! I haven't seen the mayor around, though."

"Oh, he's out doing mayoral business or something at another town," Pippy replied. Molly tensed. "Really?"

"Yup," Pippy said happily. "It's so nice that he's working so hard to fix up the town. I asked him to build an illuminated heart, and he said he'd think about it." Pippy's face turned a shade red. "I mean…Jacques is…a really cool guy. I think I'd like to…take him…I dunno." Molly was stunned. For the first time, Pippy was actually out of words.

"Ooh, looks like freckle-bunny has a crush!" Cherry sang.

"Eeek! I, like, totally do not!"

Molly carefully exited the building, leaving the two spunky girls to argue. Molly ventured to Main Street and, to her surprise, noticed a large building called "Club LOL". Closer inspection showed that the club was closed, however.

Molly strolled to the side of the town and sat on the bench and stared at the rolling clouds.

_Why should you believe Liam? You're a duck. You've always been a duck. How could doctors turn a human into a duck? It's simply impossible._

Molly shook her head. "No. You're just the medicine talking to me."

_Medicine can't talk, you dumb duck. It's called logic._

Molly pondered this. "Why would Liam lie to me? And it explained all the…stuff."

_Not really. It seems way too bogus. _

"Well…maybe…" Molly murmured. When she thought about it, it DID sound rather farfetched.

"Who're you talking to?"

Molly turned and did a double take. There was Liam, but in a straw hat and an aloha shirt and shorts, with sunglasses to top off the look.

"Uh, I'm not crazy," Molly said quickly. Liam's face split into a grin, probably remembering the same thing happening a million years ago.

"Pippy told me you were out on mayoral business, not plopping your lazy butt onto the beach."

"Hey, the old mayor works at the island. I talked to him. While bashing a machine with a hammer."

"What?"

"Nothing." Liam smiled. "Wanna hear the best part?"

"What, about the beach?"

"Nah, something cooler. Y'know, breaking reality and opening portals in new dimensions. The thing I forgot to tell you yesterday."

"That sounds even phonier than me being a human with medicine in my brain fighting my memories."

"Mhm. Wanna hear it?"

"Hit me with your best shot." Molly folded her wings and listened.

"This is gonna be real complicated. I hope your duck-brain can handle it." Liam ruffled the feathers on her head with his hand. "Okay, so, have you ever heard the saying 'the fabric of reality'?" Liam began.

"Mhm."

"Well, that's true. Realities are blankets. What happens after you use a blanket for a while? It gets holes in it. Dimensions are cloths, stacked on top of each other. When the top blanket gets a hole, it's a portal to the dimension underneath. If you beat up a blanket, you can punch holes into it. Thats what the train was doing. So basically, we aren't super far away…we're in an entire different realm."

"That's fake," Molly finished. "I was willing to believe I used to be a human, and that the entire race is dead, and there's evil stuff in my brain, but that's a step too far. Universes aren't literally blankets."

To her surprise, Liam just shrugged. "I don't get it either. I'm just reciting what I read. If you go real fast, you can make a portal." Liam's eyes shone like they did when he got an idea. "I want to find a portal back home."

Molly looked at him. "I think you're totally crazy."

Liam smiled tiredly. "Couldn't I say the same to you?"

Molly paused for a second.

"I'm gonna go change. I smell like fish." Liam stood up and stretched. "So, uh, I guess it's time."

"Time for what?"

"I've explained everything. We can start bringing back your memories."

"Right." Molly felt uncomfortable for some reason. "But Liam…aren't I supposed to, I dunno, FEEL like a human?"

"What?" Liam asked.

"I just feel like a duck. It's not like, 'oh, I was a human, that makes sense'; or 'hey! now that I think about it, I totally feel like a human!' I just feel like…a duck," she repeated.

Liam laughed. His laugh was so familiar. Short, loud, and cheerful. "Thats because being a human isn't a feeling, Molly. Being a duck probably isn't a feeling either. You don't feel any different because all along you've been _you_. A human or duck isn't what you are; you're Molly." he leaned down and hugged her, his next words soft. "And I'd like it to stay that way."

The wind whistled softly, crossing through the trees.

"You really do smell like fish," Molly said after a while. It wasn't exactly true, but she needed to break the tension or awkwardness or whatever was crackling in the non- existent space between them.

"Right." Liam stood up, his face a shade red. "Stay cool." he gave a thumbs-up, attempted to wink, then gave an exaggerated yell when a leaf slapped him in the face.

Molly grinned and giggled as he took the leaf off, a mock look of horror and confusion on his face. He laughed, too, then took off. Molly sat on the bench for a while, still smiling. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue.

"You!"

Molly whirled around, stunned to see two alligators dressed up in suits. Last thing she remembered, no alligator lived in Solaris, let alone two.

The first one, a green-scaled one, grabbed one of her wings. The other, a black, shining reptile, grabbed the other.

"Hey!" Molly yelped. "Whats this about?!"

"You're corrupt," the black one said gruffly, his grip tightening. He gave no further explanation. They began dragging her.

"Ow! Hey! Stop!" Molly yelled, fighting to escape.

"You're a duck, kid. We're government-trained gators. Quit resisting," the green one snapped.

"Geez, Don. Be easy on her. Her species ain't that smart." the two gators guffawed.

"Shut UP!" Molly screamed. Don, the black alligator, smacked his scaly claws over her beak. She let out muffled shrieks.

"She's a squealer, ain't she?"

"Got that right, Terry."

Molly wrenched her beak free for a second, and put all the air in her lungs into one scream.

"LIAM!" Terry clocked her on the head and Don jammed his fist into her throat. Molly choked, gasping and dizzy. The world swooped.

"Can't believe it took us this long," Don puffed. "Imagine what woulda happened if the runt's plan worked!"

"Oh, yeah. Better grab him, too, huh?"

"We have our orders, bud. Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Let me go," Molly whimpered. She had no energy to struggle, her head hammering.

"We can't, kid. You're a slippery one, gotta give it to you," Terry said with a chuckle.

The alligators dragged her towards the train station. Molly closed her eyes.

_Think, think, think… _This was difficult, as she could feel the lump rising on her head from the generous head-bump, courtesy of Terry. _There…has to be a way…_

The only plan she could formulate was to get help, which was already painfully obvious. She struggled to look around, and noticed not a soul was outside. Strange.

"Hey, kid, it's the annual Stay-Inside-Your-House festival," Terry said in a mocking voice, pointing to the billboard. In very alligator-looking handwriting, it said the above message.

"These animals do anything we tell em to!" Don exclaimed. "Except this one, 'course."

"Hey! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

A shriek of fury came from behind her. Molly didn't have to look. _Liam._

She felt the alligator's grip on her falter. She wrenched free, struggling to turn, the world dipping below her. She rubbed her head. _Darnit…darnit…concussion…_

One thing jolted her awake. Liam was _wrestling the alligators. _Don whipped out an evil-looking black stick and pointed it to Liam. Electricity shot from it, and Liam suddenly jerked, his eyes rolling back. Molly let out a strangled shriek, reaching for him.

"Don't touch him! Don't…he's my…friend…"

Liam's body convulsed and curled up on the ground. Don pointed the item towards her, a deadly glow in his eyes.

"I'm feeling like havin' some roasted chicken, Don, how about you?" Terry chuckled.

"Aw, don't be so racist, man. She's a duck." Don's alligator lips curled into a cruel smile.

And he pulled the trigger.

Molly paused to scream, but something entered her body. It felt like a monster, a raging beast, instantly taking her nerves and playing with them like toys. She jerked, every function going haywire, all thoughts leaving her mind. She crumpled to the ground, spasms going through her wings, breathing suddenly becoming as impressive a feat as walking on water.

And then everything went black.

…**Whats this? Something actually happened? There are actually VILLAINS in this story?! O_o Who would've thought!**


	10. Chapter 10

Molly awoke to pitch blackness. She reached out her wings instinctively, trying to feel her surroundings. Instantly she felt a long pole of metal. In wonder, she felt the little room she was in, covered in metallic poles.

A cage.

She carefully tried to stand up, but the cage wasn't large enough.

"Liam?" she whispered softly. She heard a shifting noise.

"Molly?" came the weak reply. Flooded with relief, she pushed her wing through the bars.

"Put your arm out. Can you feel my feathers?" Molly whispered. After a moment, she felt something brush her wing, and she shivered.

"Yes," Liam replied. "Any idea where we are?"

"Well, obviously, cages. Thats all I got."

Then he groaned.

"Liam?" Molly gasped.

"That wasn't me," Liam said slowly, softly.

Molly turned, still unable to see, straining her ears.

"You two…be quiet…" came the gravelly, painful voice.

"Who're you?" Liam asked, ignoring his plea.

"The name's Chief." he coughed, and there was a shifting noise. "Hey, there's new ones. Wake up, kid!"

Another moan. Molly trembled. What went on in this place?

"New…ones?" came a squeaky, dulled-down voice. Every feather on Molly's body stood on end.

"Peanut?" she gasped. "Peanut, what are you doing here?"

"Molly? Is that you?" she coughed, and gasped, "Molly! Molly, what are you doing here?!" she spluttered, repeating Molly's question.

"She's corrupt, obviously," Chief replied.

"Thats what they said," Molly whispered. "But I don't get it."

"It means you're resistant to the medicine," Chief grunted.

"No I'm not. That medicine has knocked me out and gave me more headaches than I can count."

"You're still resistant. Most other animals have absolutely no way of ever remembering anything. We can." Chief chuckled. "And that pisses of the government."

"Whats gonna happen to us?" Liam asked.

"They'll perform the Operation on you again," Peanut answered.

"I never took the Operation," Liam hissed. "I'm a human."

Dead silence.

"What?" Chief laughed. "Thats crazy talk. The humans are dead."

"He is," Molly replied. "He's the only one left."

"Then they'll just do the Operation on you. No problem."

"That can't happen!" Molly gasped. "We have to escape!"

"Escape? Kid, we've been here for days, do you think we haven't been trying? And before you ask, no, we have no idea when they plan to take us out of here and do the damn Operation."

As if on cue, the lights flickered on and shimmered dimly. Molly squinted through her cage and saw Chief. He was an orange-and-white wolf wearing a dirty shirt. From here she couldn't see the pattern on it. Her gaze shifted, and her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Peanut. It _was _her! Her fur was matted and her eyes were scared, but she was here. Molly turned and saw Liam, hunched in his cage designed for animals.

A fancier looking alligator, dressed in a white coat, strolled over to Peanut's cage. She squeezed against the back wall, her eyes huge and terrified. The alligator opened the cage, and, whistling, took her out.

"Nooo!" Peanut shrieked. "Let me go! Let me gooo!"

"Peanut!" Molly wailed.

"Be quiet," Chief whispered. "No point. I tried. I tried to save Freya…" Tears came to his eyes. "There's nothing we can do…"

Peanut's stubby arms reached out, her eyes locking with Molly's.

"_HELP ME!" _she shrieked, her hands spreading out, begging for her. Molly stared back, feeling so helpless, so useless.

The alligator carried her out, a vial in his hand. It was full of clear liquid that came from the gummy bears. It became clear. He was going to do the Operation, remove every shred of Peanut so she never returned, an empty soul filling a Peppy template.

"NO!" Molly screeched in a voice that wasn't her own. Rage filled her. She threw herself against the bars. "That's my friend! She's my friend! Don't hurt her!"

The door slammed shut, and a loud laugh came from behind it.

"We have to help her," Molly gasped, hysterical. "We need to…"

"We can't, Molly," Liam breathed. "Its too late. We failed. I should've known they'd be tracking us…"

"No! No, it is NOT too late! You chumps can whine and cry all day long in your stupid cages, but I'm helping my friend!" Molly spat.

"Whats the point? You don't even remember her," Chief said, his voice exhausted.

"Shut up!" Molly looked around wildly. There had to be a way. She could still hear Peanut's screams behind the door. Molly fell back, shivering. Liam was dead silent, staring at the door, his eyes defeated. Chief was curled up, and appeared to be sleeping. Molly felt her rage still spiking up in her body, but she felt too broken to address it. Peanut, her friend, was being taken away to be washed out; worse, was that her brain decided to pick _now _of all times to return all her memories of Peanut; ice cream in the shadows in the middle of summer; pool parties; sleepovers. The door clicked open and a large, brown alligator waddled in. He shifted to Molly's cage.

"I'm here to get you out," he hissed. "Don't say anything. Just follow me, okay?" he unlocked her lock and moved on to Chief.

Ignoring his plea, she glared at him. "What are you doing? Is this a trap? You're on their side!"

"Actually, I'm not," the alligator whispered. "The government created us to last exactly five years. In that time period we had to collect all you corrupt folks and re-do the Operation."

_This must be some sort of trick. He just handed all that information to me._

"Oh yeah? And what happens after that five years?"

"We die," the alligator replied briskly. "Our purpose is to weed out you corruptions. Not to live or anything. Name's Alfonso. Nice to meet you, Molly. We've heard lots about you."

"How do you know-" Molly decided not to ask. The alligators probably all had files on her anyway. Alfonso looked at Liam and flinched. He stared for a moment and slowly began working on his lock.

"Hurry up," Chief growled. "We have to go!"

Liam popped out of his cage, stood up, and stretched.

Alfonso gripped Molly's wing and guided her towards the door on the other side of the room. Molly hadn't noticed it; her cage hadn't allowed her to.

"Wait!" Molly hissed. "Peanut!"

"Screw Peanut," Chief snapped. "We gotta get out!"

"_Screw Peanut?!" _Molly repeated. "Are you insane? We have to help her! She's…she's…one of us!"

Alfonso looked back towards the door. "It's too late. They're probably all up in her brain. If we tried to grab her, all we'd do is leave her with a nice big hole in her head."

"We have to try!" Molly wailed. "I can't just leave her behind! I have too many memories of her! She was my best friend!"

"Was," Chief grunted, but Molly wrenched herself from Alfonso's grip and lunged for the door, creaking it open. She spotted Peanut lying on the bed, completely alone, with no restraints. Easy. Too easy.

"Peanut!" Molly hissed. "Peanut, we're gonna save you!"

Peanut looked at Molly blankly. "Save?"

"Yes! They haven't done it yet! I don't know why but…oh for crying out loud! Come over here!"

"Do what? Whats going on? Who are you?" Peanut looked at Molly, her head tilted. "Well, my name's Peanut. I really like nuts. And cake. And volleyball, but now I'm more into flamenco dancing. I'm not that great at it, but-"

_No… _Molly stared at Peanut, dumbfounded. _They completely redid the Operation in just a few minutes. How is that possible?_

"So, whats your name?"

Molly gripped Peanut hard.

"We're here to save you, Peanut," Molly hissed. "And_ my name is Molly!_"

The door flung open. Molly whirled around, expecting Alfonso or Chief, yelling at her to hurry.

Instead it was a gigantic, scaly creature, larger than a normal alligator. He crossed his arms.

Behind him, lay Liam, unconscious. The gator picked up a black stick.

"Come here," he said quietly. Molly looked at the object. Her insides cramped in horror at the look of it. He quietly pressed the barrel of it to Liam's temple.

"Need I repeat myself?" he asked with a raised gator-eyebrow.

The black stick formed a name to Molly.

_A gun._


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy 2 month anniversary, Molly! 8D **

**off topic: Pashmina left me without warning yesterday. And I figured out how to put the line thingamabob in my stories! It took me forever to figure it out, but…yeah, lets just get on with the story.**

* * *

It was instinct.

Molly raised her wings high up in the air, eyes wide. She didn't think of a single plan or option; just _don't let Liam get shot. _She stared the alligator dead in the eye, trembling. _What do I do? _

She didn't know what the correct thing to do was. Should she try to fly or something? Grab Peanut and bolt? Attack the alligator? She couldn't focus. She only remembered his command; _Come here._

There was no other option. His ugly, scaly fingers curled around the trigger. She had to surrender. Escape didn't matter; she just needed Liam alive.

She walked towards him.

"Thats my girl," he cackled. He gripped her wing so tightly she gasped in pain. Should she say something? Or should she just be dragged along dumbly, like a child?

_Thats what you are. A child. You can't do anything. You can only sit by. Don't you get it? You failed. You're a failure. They're going to perform the Operation on everyone now because you FAILED!_

Molly looked at Liam. He wasn't unconscious, like she had guessed. His eyes were stunned, almost vacant. She had to think. It couldn't be entirely hopeless. There had to be some kind of way.

Molly turned her head and saw Alfonso, against the wall. He had blood on him. Molly stared at him, trying to telepathically tell him how sorry she was.

Alfonso weakly grinned at her and tossed her a small, thick stick. Molly caught it and glanced at her capturer. Somehow, he hadn't noticed. He was busy saying something to Liam. He dragged them into the cages and locked them, then picked up Alfonso like a feather and carried him off somewhere.

Maybe they'd do the Operation on him, too.

"I'm sorry," Molly murmured. Her voice was surprisingly steady.

"What for? I would've done the same thing." he replied. His voice was ragged.

"What happened?" Molly whispered.

"You went in and this gigantic alligator walked in. Chief ran for it, but that alligator guy beat the crap out of me and Alfonso."

"Are you alright?" Molly gasped.

"Yeah, I guess. My head hurts."

Molly rubbed the spot where Terry had bumped her on the head earlier. "Same."

"What did Alfonso toss you?" he queried.

"I don't know." Molly observed the small sticklike object. It was faintly familiar.

"Let me see." Molly handed Liam the object through the bars of their cages. Liam sucked in his breath and Molly's heart leaped.

"T-this is a taser gun," he hissed.

"Huh?"

"Thats the thing those two alligators shot us with. It sends electricity into you and renders you completely useless."

"Great," Molly said. "But how can we use it to get us out? Other than shooting the guards?"

"If we can get out of these cages, no alligator will stand in our way." Liam aimed towards the wall and pulled the trigger. It made a _ti-ti-ti-ti _noise rapidly, sparks flaring off the tip.

"This thing has enough voltage to knock you out," Liam said in wonder.

"Again, great," Molly snapped. "But it's useless if we can't get out of these cages."

"Don't you see?" Liam said excitedly. "Once they take us out to do the Operation, bam, we shoot them with this little guy and bolt!"

Molly frowned. "But…what about Peanut? And Alfonso? And Chief?"

"Well, sometimes sacrifices gotta be made."

"What?! Thats as stupid as 'screw Peanut'! We have to get them all out."

Liam sighed. "Peanut's been Operated on, there's nothing we can-"

The door burst open and two gators in white coats stepped in. They quietly unlocked the doors and dragged Liam and Molly out of their cages. Liam winked at Molly, whipped out the taser, and aimed it at the one holding him. They let out cries of alarm that were quickly silenced.

"Run," Liam said tersely. Molly froze. _I have to save Peanut!_

Molly heard the door open and she whirled around. Backup? No, it was the pink squirrel herself.

"Whats going on, slacker?" she questioned, looking around.

"No time!" Molly grabbed her arm. "RUN!"

"Is this a race? If it is, I dunno if I can win…I'm pretty short, but-"

"Lets play a game called Don't Say Anything or You Lose," Liam hissed. Molly hadn't ever seen him like this, his eyes shifting, his pose tight and face concentrated.

Peanut grinned and pretended to zip her lips. _If this squirrel knew what the heck she's running from…_

"Help!"

Molly whirled around and saw Chief, held down by two guards. Liam pointed the taser at the guards.

"They're taking me to the Operation! Help!"

Molly heard more guards clomping behind her. _They're surrounding us!_

Time seemed to slow down. If they saved Chief, they'd get caught; if they ran, they could escape, but Chief would be Operated on. Liam seemed to be boarding the same train of thought. Molly looked at him.

"We're sorry, Chief," Liam choked out.

"You lose!" Peanut said triumphantly. Molly had already forgotten about their 'game'.

The footsteps were getting louder behind them.

"But sometimes, sacrifices have to be made." Liam's hand tightened on the taser and he grabbed Molly's wing. "I'm sorry."

They all bolted the instant the backup guards burst in, yelling and cursing.

"RUN!" Liam yelled, and whirled around, shooting electricity. All thought left Molly's mind, replaced by a wild, primitive instinct to save herself. She opened her wings, closed her eyes, and pushed off.

She hadn't actually flown before, and flying wouldn't exactly help her all that much in this narrow tunnel, but she did it anyway. She heard Peanut cheering beneath her.

"Follow me!" Molly yelled, swooping down the tunnel. Well, flying did have an advantage; it was a LOT faster than walking. She saw Liam panting as he followed her, scooped up Peanut, and poured on speed. _Humans are fast, _she observed.

"I didn't know you could fly," Liam puffed.

"I'm a _duck_," Molly replied. Liam grinned his million-dollar smile and Molly grinned back, and spread her wings, slamming into a ladder.

"Owwww!" Molly huffed. She whirled around and spotted Liam behind her, his face red.

"You're fast," he panted. Molly didn't respond, looking at the ladder.

"Lets go," Liam said, catching his breath. Suddenly Peanut gasped.

"Peanut?" Molly asked.

"Can't…leave…tunnel…" she hissed, and she dropped down from Liam's arms.

"GUAAAAAAAAAARDS!" she shrieked.

"What the hell?" Liam yelled, reaching for her. "Stop! We're escaping!"

"You CAN'T escape!" Peanut snarled. Liam saw about ten alligators rushing down the corridor.

"Up! Go up! Go up the damn ladder, Molly! NOW!"

Molly scrambled for the ladder, and saw Liam wield the taser. It was too small to handle that many guards.

He wasn't going to be able to escape.

"Not on my watch!" Molly snapped, and lunged for the nearest alligator, kicking him in the face. "Go for their eyes!"

But there was only three of them against so many, and Peanut seemed to be on the wrong side. She felt a cold barrel of a gun against her head.

"The Operation can suck it," one snapped. "I'm killing this duck whether my programming likes it or no-OW!"

Alfonso kicked the gator in the head, quickly followed by Chief.

"Need help?" Chief puffed.

"Thanks," Molly gasped, her heart hammering. She'd ask questions later. "Come on, up the ladder!"

They all scrambled up, Alfonso gripping Peanut as she yelled for help.

"They're kidnapping meeee!" she wailed.

They burst into a field with train tracks. As luck would have it, a train was chugging along on them now.

"Wait!" Liam gasped, waving his hand. The train stopped.

"What're yall doing out here in the middle o' nowhere?" the train driver-a monkey- asked, confused.

"No time," Liam said impatiently. "Can you drive us to-"

"Banana," Molly interrupted. That was the name of Peanut's town. "We need to drop off Peanut over here. And then could you drive us to Solaris?"

"Banana and Solaris are pretty far from here," he grunted. "But, hey, as long as you pay me."

* * *

"Stop for Solaris, stop for Solaris!"

Liam and Molly got up, exhausted. "You guys gonna be okay?" Liam asked Alfonso and Liam. Alfonso nodded.

During the train ride, Alfonso said he had fought with the big alligator that had threatened to shoot Liam-Kevin-and run for it. He had seen Chief along the way and had tased the guards holding him with the spare taser he kept in his pocket, then run for Molly and Liam's rescue.

"Sorry for not saving you back there," Liam told Chief awkwardly.

"Gaha! I would've done the same thing!" Chief laughed.

Liam gave him a mock hurt expression and grabbed Molly's wing.

"Lets go," he said.

They stepped off the train and Molly breathed in the air of Solaris.

"Home Sweet Home," Liam sighed. The sun was rising, which meant they were in that prison for at least a day. Hopefully nobody had noticed.

Liam looked down at Molly. "We beat them. Alfonso can save Chief, and I can save you, and maybe there will be humans again." Molly looked into his eyes.

They were full of tears.

_We're home._


	12. Chapter 12

Molly opened her mailbox and pulled out the letters inside. One was from Jacques, another from Liam.

Molly opened the one from Jacques. It had a present attached.

_Bonjour, mon chéri…_

_Thanks for coming over the other day. It was real cool to see you…heh. Tonight's Saturday. You want to meet up at the club? Listen to K.K. drop some beats? Heh. Reply soon, okay?_

_Amoureusement vôtre,_

_\- Jacques _**(AN: totally didn't use google translate for that…don't judge! I picked Spanish!)**

Molly opened up the present. It had a nicely wrapped chocolate heart, with no price tag in sight. Molly's face turned red. She pocketed the letter and opened Liam's.

_Whats up?_

_Try thinking about May 26th. Think violins, Moonlight Sonata. That was your favorite song._

_ \- Liam_

This letter was shorter than Jacques' and had no present attached; however, this had been how they had communicated since the alligator attack. Too paranoid to talk about Molly's past life in the open, Liam told her through letters. Sending dates. Clues. Molly sighed and folded his latest letter, and walked back inside. She picked up her violin and stroked it, trying to make it dispel the secret of May 26th.

_Moonlight Sonata…that was written by…oh, it's on the tip of my tongue!_

Molly's wings itched to pull out the bow and play a song. She squeezed her eyes shut.

_Remember it…the…the concert…_

The headache was already coming, but Molly pushed it away. She had learned long ago how to ignore it.

_Everyone…staring at me…gotta get it right…_

Molly fell back on the bed, losing herself in thought.

_Music…he smiled. Gave a thumbs-up. Liam…and now I'm playing…the music is so…_

Molly drifted off in the memory. She would think that a memory of losing herself in music would be hard to grasp; but is was the opposite. It was so clear in her mind, the color, the deep blue of the song, the smell of the old violin. It was crystal.

_It's over. It's over already. And they're all clapping. Some are crying. And I feel so alive._

Molly stood up and walked over to the violin. There was dead silence; time to fix that. She picked it up. It was just like in her memory. She imagined the crowd and when she resurfaced, her feathers were aching and the music was done. The song was several minutes long; how did it only take a moment?

"Hey! Molly! Wanna play hide-and-seek?"

Butch and Biff cannoned through the trees, scaring the life out of Molly.

"Whoa!" Molly shook herself. "Uh…alright," she replied once her feathers lied flat.

"Ye-haa!" Biff thundered off and Molly followed more slowly. Once Biff had expressly explained the rules, Butch, Purrl, and Molly were off to hide.

Molly picked behind a tree behind Re-Tail. She squatted down, occasionally peeking behind the trunk to see if Biff was nearby. She shifted to get into a comfortable position, then-

Molly was struck down by a bolt of light. A strangled noise came from her throat as she collapsed, gripping her head. Flashes of memories were going by faster faster faster faster faster

light

a building

memory

music

Molly felt something shaking her, but she couldn't respond. She was terrified; _what was happening? _Had the alligators come back for her? It was wearing off. She blinked and looked at the sky. A shadow loomed over her. A spasm went through her and it started all over again…

Molly woke up in a room she'd never seen before. She shivered and observed it.

The floor was made of solid gold, the wall covered in Egyptian paintings and hieroglyphs. An upbeat, African tune was playing on a black-and-gold stereo. There was a Chinese lantern and an exotic tapestry hanging on the wall, a moai statue in the corner, and a small replica of a Kinderdijk Windmill. The bed she was lying on was in stark contrast to everything else. It was a simple bed with red sheets and dark wood. She huddled back into the covers when she heard footsteps, pretending to be asleep. A sweet smell filled the room; cookies. The footsteps got closer to the bed. There was a pause, a sigh that sounded frustrated and concerned at the same time, and footsteps shuffling away. After a couple seconds, she peeked over the covers. This wasn't a secret hideout. Alligators didn't collect items from around the world and bake cookies and check on their prisoners. Molly looked outside the window she was placed next to and got a pretty view of Solaris. She was still in her town. Relief washed over her.

_That means I'm in someone's house, _she realized. _But nobody has a house this big, except…_

Of course. Liam.

Molly tried remembering what had happened before she had woken up here. She remembered a game of hide-and-seek, but everything before that was foggy. Dismay bloomed in her chest, but she didn't know why. Was she late for an event? Was she not supposed to be here? Whatever.

"Liam?" Molly asked. Her voice came out rough and squeaky, and she cleared her throat.

Liam popped his head through the door on the right side of the room.

"Oh! Okay, you're awake. About time." he smiled and offered a cookie. She accepted.

"So, what just happened?" Molly asked after two bites of the delicious dessert.

"You were playing hide-and-seek, and you suddenly flipped out and Biff thought you were trying to hide by curling up in a ball, so when you didn't react when he started shaking you he was confused, and Butch said that this had happened before when you flipped out a month or two ago and that he should bring you to me so I could help but since I don't really know what to do I kind of just shoved you in bed and hoped you'd wake up soon and in the meantime I was making cookies because I thought maybe the smell would wake you up because-" Liam took a deep breath. "…Yeah, okay. That answer your question?"

"Yeah," Molly mumbled through cookie. "But how did it happen?"

Liam looked at the ceiling and muttered something along the lines of 'oh my god not this crap again'.

"I'm guessing you tried to remember a very important event in your life and then passed out?" he suggested. "I knew sending that letter was risky."

"Why would I pass out from a memory?" Molly asked. Liam stood up.

"I am seriously not in the mood to explain literally everything _again,_"he sighed. "Just give it a second, you'll remember."

With that he walked outside the door. Molly puzzled over it for a second.

_There's something screaming at me. I need to remember…this shouldn't have happened. Medicine…memories…_

And in a flash, Molly remembered again. Molly gasped and her wings flew to her mouth.

"I'm a human," Molly said. She repeated it over and over until everything fully came back to her. "The medicine knocked me out."

Suddenly she was just so tired. She didn't want to work anymore. Remembering her whole past life was so difficult, and things like this would keep happening if she wasn't on her guard.

All day.

Every day.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey."

Molly opened her eyes. "I'm still here?"

"You fell asleep, so I just kind of let you sleep. But it's 8:00. Want to go to the club?"

Molly stared into Liam's face.

"Sure," she yawned. "Lets go."

Approximately three minutes later, they were inside a small room with dim lighting. A rather unattractive axolotl was standing by the entrance with a grin.

"K.K. Slider is playing tonight," he said happily. "Go request a song! He has over ninety of em!"

As Molly walked over to the stage, she noted the sleek chairs. Suddenly she remembered Jacques and winced when she remembered his invitation from earlier that morning. Oops.

"Hey, kittens," the musician said smoothly. He looked at Liam and his stare lingered a bit. "You're the mayor of this joint?" His eyes seemed so full of sorrow, but that didn't make sense.

"Yup," Liam said. "How'd you know?"

K.K. looked down at his guitar. "Heard a lot about this town in general. Sounds real special." he cleared his throat and strummed his guitar strings. "This your first time here? I pick a song of my choice for new ears."

"Cool," Liam replied. Molly smirked as she noticed him subconsciously adopting the dog's calm, smooth posture and attitude.

"Cool, kitten, cool. My girl's ready to jam, so cop a chair, Clare," K.K. said, facing Molly with a small smile.

Liam and Molly hopped onto the chairs. For a second K.K. was silent, looking down at his guitar again.

"This one goes out to you two. I call it K.K. Bossa."

His eyes closed and he slowly began strumming. The lights dimmed.

"…A wave, a splash, a ripple, oh, oh, oh…"

"At the flow's end, what shall be?"

"A present found on the seashore,"

"That is when a door will open..."

"Maybe it was the key, the door's other side…lies excitement."

"Not just a faint breeze, in the same way…"

"A switch of happiness..."

"That way…you'll have…somehow have made it become."

"A wave, a splash, a ripple, oh, oh, oh…"

"At the flow's end, what shall be?"

"A present found on the seashore is calling out to you, it seems to be."

Suddenly, without warning, Liam grabbed Molly and held her to him. She squeaked in surprise. She caught a glance of the pink axolotl, dancing horribly off the beat.

_"A wave, a splash, a ripple, oh, oh, oh…"_

"Please," he breathed. "Don't give up, Molly. Please don't try to stay what you are now. Just keep trying to become human again, it will be worth it, just…please…"

_"At the flow's end, what shall be?"_

Molly realized he wasn't hugging her, he was grabbing her by the shoulders and insisting she absolutely _had _to be human once more.

"I know it seems random," Liam said with a shaky voice, "but-but I just need to see your face again. Promise me."

_"A present found on the seashore…"_

"I promise, Liam," Molly rasped. "I promise."

"_That is when the door will open. Maybe it was the key."_

"Good. Thank you."

_"The door's other side lies excitement. Not just a faint breeze."_

Liam released her, and slowly sat back up. Molly fluffed out her feathers and wondered what it would be like to have none of them. Just peach skin and opposable thumbs.

"_In the same way a switch of happiness-that way you'll have somehow made it become; a wave, a splash, a ripple, oh, oh, oh, at the flow's end…what shall be?"_

He seemed so into the music.

"_A present found on the seashore is calling out to you, it seems to be."_

The lights flickered back on, and K.K. looked up. He looked significantly more calm.

"Cool, kitten, cool. Check out your pockets! I slipped you a boot of this song."

"Thats not possible," Liam protested. "You didn't move an inch the entire song."

K.K. grinned and Molly checked her pockets; sure enough, there was a record there. Molly gawked at it.

"Thank you," Liam said. "That sounded great."

"No problem, my pleasure," K.K. replied.

He watched them all the way out of the club.

* * *

Liam doodled across the homework set that Purrl had given him. _First, what a terrible gift. Two, how does she even know what homework is?_

Liam sighed and listened to the K.K. Bossa disc. He thought about how he forced Molly to promise to follow through in the human plan. He could see her reluctance. What had he done? He'd ripped away her sweet oblivion, her cheery life as a simple resident in Solaris. And for what? To be a human? Humans were terrible creatures. Why destroy the entire race before actually trying to _come up with a cure? _If he could pick, he'd choose to be an animal. Molly seemed so blissful when she flew that one time in the tunnel. Liam had always wanted to fly. He wanted to grow up and be a pilot. He was taking that all away from her. Liam forced himself to dig deep into himself and find out why he so desperately wanted Molly back. The truth was to pathetic for him to admit.

_I just want to see her face again._

Tears welled in his eyes and he scribbled all over the paper in front of him in frustration.

_I'm selfish; thats all I want from this whole thing. I just…want to see her face. I want to ride my bike with her, play tag, and…and…I want everything to be normal again. _Liam put his head into his hands.

_Oh, my god, they're all dead…mom, dad, even Mr. Walter down the street, they're all dead._

Liam released a sob into his hands.

_I want her back because I'm so alone, I'm the only one left! I can't handle being so alone!_

Liam took in ragged breaths. Tears splashed onto his doodles.

He counted to three, then pulled out some paperwork from the desk he was near. It was a sheet he was supposed to complete earlier today, filling out the work for the new Wisteria Trellis. There. The mind-numbing boringness of paperwork ought to snap him out of it. _I miss everyone so much…_

* * *

_"Ey!"_

Molly turned. _Oh, gosh darnit._

Jacques was standing behind her, leaning against a tree, wings crossed.

"Where were you?"

"Uh-"

"The club? With that scrawny mayor kid?"

"You know, you're in no place to call him scrawny," she shot back. Jacques narrowed his eyes.

"Did you not get my letter? Zut alors! I knew you were a little flaky, but-"

"Flaky?" I demanded. "I just forgot, okay?"

"Yeah, right," he snapped. His cool demeanor had vanished in a fit of hurt.

Molly sighed a gust of frustration. "I'm sorry, okay? Next week. I promise."

_Wasn't today just full of promises, huh?_

"_Jacq-uueeeesss!_"

Jacques rolled his eyes, then turned.

"Jacques!" Pippy raced up to the navy-blue bird. "The club is open! Want to go? Oh, hey, Molly! Do you want to come, too?"

"No, thank you," she answered. "I just went. K.K. is an amazing guitarist. You two should go."

"Oh, great!" Pippy squealed. She grabbed Jacques' wing. "Come on!"

"…Oh, of course, Pippy," Jacques sighed. His lazy eyes were replaced by a tight, angry expression. "Fine."

"Yay!" Pippy didn't notice his glare and dragged him off. Molly turned away.

* * *

**I wrote in Liam's POV for once, just to show whats going on in that guy's head. Woop!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everyone! Thank you all so so much for the reviews. Each review means so much to me! And thanks for all the critiques; details have always been a problem in my writing, it isn't just my writing style or done on purpose. I'll try to be more descriptive in the future uwu**

* * *

_"Uwaaaaargh!"_

_"Heyyy! I got you! Stop cheating!"_

_"No you didn't! I dodged you at the last second!"_

_"Nuh-uhhhh! I FELT your shirt!"_

_"Oh yeah? Try to catch me again!"_

_"HEY!"_

_"Nana-nana-na-naaa-aaaa!"_

_"Stooooop! Hey! You cheater!"_

_"You're just saying that 'cause you caaaan't caaaaaatch meeeeeee!"_

_"You're such a butt!"_

_"Hahahahahahaha…"_

* * *

Molly felt consciousness force its way into her mind. She tried to fight it off, struggling to keep hold of the happy mood of her dream, but it refused to budge. Slowly, she opened her eyes, blinking off sleep as she stared at the ceiling.

She yawned and got up. She swayed on her feet and stumbled, almost falling. She grabbed hold of the bed post to steady herself.

_I feel dizzy._

Molly waited a minute for it to pass, but it didn't. _Come on. Just accept that it isn't going to be a good day._

With a sigh of defeat, Molly threw open the door. Even though it was very early in the morning, humidity and heat blasted Molly in the face. She grimaced.

_Good thing Liam built that café a while back…I need a coffee._

She yawned as she lazily walked to the café. A cool breeze blew, giving relief from the heat every few seconds. The trees swayed ever so slightly in the wind. Molly found the café and opened the door. Not a soul was inside except Brewster, the barista. He was quietly cleaning a cup and the small building was so silent that Molly zoned out for a second.

"…There's a free seat at the bar…"

His voice jerked her back to reality.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, thanks."

WIth that undignified comment, she scrambled for a seat. The room smelled faintly of (duh) coffee and wood.

"…What would you like?" Brewster murmured, finally looking up for a second. Molly paused.

"I dunno…just a blue mountain, I guess." _Urgh! I sound like such an idiot. _

"…Any sugar or milk preference…?"

"I like it with a ton of milk and sugar in it."

"Coo…coming right up…"

He silently began grabbing the ingredients, while Molly focused on the music. It was slow and calm. She felt her eyes droop. Suddenly a quiet _clink _made her jump. She leaned towards the coffee and blew on it, then waited a second.

"…You must drink it while it's hot. Coo."

"Well, yeah, but I mean…it must be really really hot right now, so-"

Suddenly his calm demeanor vanished and he stood up, staring her in the eye. His glasses flashed ever so slightly, appearing to be adopting a hostile stance. Molly leaned back into her seat.

"…so, uh, yeah." Molly quickly grabbed the cup and drained it. The burning liquid felt like it burned her innards raw, but she tried to ignore it.

"Thank you," she stammered, focusing more on trying to put out the fire inside her mouth. She paid the 200 Bells and with another 'thanks' left the building.

Molly continued her bored walk around Solaris until she found herself at Main Street. A wave of dizziness flew over her and she gasped.

_I need to sit down… _Molly thought. She managed to make it to the bench at the far end of the road, then collapsed into it gratefully. She stared at the clouds, feeling the peaceful breeze blow. She tightened up when she remembered doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago, only to be taken by alligators blinded by their orders to Operate.

These rather unpleasant memories were going through Molly's head when she heard a scream and fell off the bench.

_I used to think screams of pain were voluntary. I thought they were the person's choice, whether they shouted out or not, whether they decided to attract attention._

And, Molly was learning the hard way; that was not true.

_Whats happening? _She thought in panic as pain exploded through her brain and shook every bone in her body. Nausea came in waves, and she felt like the ground had been turned into a blanket that was being repeatedly fluffed.

"H..e..l..p…me…" she barely managed to cough, tremors going through her feathers.

And then she started to forget.

Bits and pieces of the memories she had accumulated flaked off and vanished. Everything became muddy. Time felt slow as everything slowly emptied itself out of her brain. She felt an alien presence in her mind.

_There, there…no need to fight. Just let it happen, okay?_

Molly relaxed and let whatever was happening take over. As painful and terrifying as it was, it felt like…this thing was trying to protect her. Like trying to ride a bike, but falling repeatedly. Or playing a violin, only to make a million mistakes. Each mistake was a part of learning.

_The violin…_

Suddenly, like a flame, Molly jerked awake with a gasp. _No, no, no, no, no! You aren't taking over, you dang medicine! I will beat the heck out of you if you try to take my brain!_

Molly forced her eyes open and pushed herself up, gasping with effort. Her body trembled as it fought against the medicine. She coughed and heaved, then collapsed again.

_It's not what you think. Don't worry, I'll make it stop hurting. Just relax. I promise it will all get better._

_No! No! Stop…you're just trying to…to…_

And then her consciousness fled.

The last thing she remembered was that _that scream I heard…was me._

* * *

Molly awoke in a pure white room. She squinted at its brightness and tried to move, but it felt like she was strapped to a chair. She looked down and saw that there was nothing restraining her.

Then something emerged. It was impossible to describe, its figure ever-changing, flashing with images and pictures, a million frames a second.

"Hello, Molly."

It didn't have a mouth or a body, but its smooth, calm voice was clear.

"Who are you?" Molly rasped.

"I am your friend, Molly. There's no need to fear me or fight me."

"No," she hissed. "You're the medicine, aren't you? You've finally come to fight back. But I wont forget! You can't make me!"

"Thats nonsense, Molly," it said gently. Its voice was so soft that she calmed down for a millisecond. "I am no medicine. I'm simply trying to help you. I'm sorry that it hurt. I tried my best to make it painless."

"You liar," Molly grumbled.

"Here, let me help," it said. It moved towards her gracefully. It had no legs, it just floated over to her. An arm, looking like it was made of smoke, emerged from the entity and touched her forehead. Its touch was cool.

"I will make you happy, Molly. I will make you forget all the bad things that happened to you. You will be normal once more. It is okay, please calm down."

Molly's posture slackened. _Whats the point of fighting now…? I can't…remember…_

"Thats it. Just lie still. Soon you will be bathed in the glory of oblivion. Relax."

Molly took a deep breath, then jerked forward. She felt her limbs move, though they felt a million pounds. She screamed with frustration and swung her wing at the creature. It stumbled back.

"How?" It gasped. Its soothing tone had vanished, replaced with a voice of fury and shock. "How can you fight me?! I am the ultimate! I was designed to defeat you!"

It lunged forward and grabbed Molly's throat.

"You cannot fight me! Why would you bother?! Why do you want to be a human again, you worthless piece of junk?!"

"Because…I made…a promise," Molly breathed, oxygen becoming hard to find. She struggled to pry its fingers off her neck, but her feathers went through its arm. "I said I wouldn't give up."

It wasn't just that. This desperate battle made Molly realize how desperately she wanted this, how badly she wanted to be human again. She didn't have an explanation, she just needed it.

"A promise? To that boy? Why does he matter? I will destroy him too. I am the medicine, Molly, and you cannot fight me." Its voice was colder than ice.

"Go shoot a duck!" Molly said, then shut her eyes and allowed every single memory to flow through. Before, she had held them back in fear that they would knock her out, but that didn't matter now. There was a shriek of frustration from the Medicine.

"No! Stop! How can you beat me? You are nothing special! How do you have this willpower?! How can you have the burning desire to live so strong that you can just toss me aside, you worthless fool?!"

Molly opened her eyes, and to her amazement saw the Medicine start flaking away.

"Stop! Stop remembering right now! You can't break the wall…you can't! I was made to be strong! Stop, stop, stop stop stop stop!" With a final, primal shriek of terror and fury, the medicine vanished.

* * *

"Molly! Molly, are you alright?!"

_Oh god the memories they hurt so much there are too many stop stop stop_

"Molly! Wake up!"

_There's nothing there to stop them the medicine is dead I'm on my own there's too many of them go away go away please please please go away_

"Come on, come on! Get up, please…"

Molly twitched, the agony overwhelming her. Her brain felt strangely…empty.

"Li…am…" she barely managed to cough, before she coughed up her breakfast and coffee.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened?" his voice had that angry-slash-terrified tone.

"The medicine, Liam…it's…gone…I beat it," Molly murmured, before she slipped back into unconsciousness again.

* * *

**o_O Dun dun dun...**

**Okay, I know it sounds crazy and a little random, but can we make it to 100 reviews before the story ends? Lets do this. ;w;**


	15. Chapter 15

The moon waned over the shimmering, mulberry-hued sky. The grass was iridescent under her feet, tinted with the color of emeralds. Occasionally, the air would glimmer, like on the area above a flame; but close inspection showed nothing interesting. There was no sound except the relentless rushing of water. There was a stream below her. It glowed with a soft color of a sapphire. After days, hours, minutes, years, who knows how long, a different sound trickled into the haze.

_Wake up._

It was soft, quiet. She looked around. Where did the sound come from? It was repeating, echoing.

_Wake up, wake up, wake up…_

It got quieter, then repeated, the voices overlapping. The foggy world started fading, and the only thing that could be seen was a soft black.

The color of his eyes.

"Molly? Molly, wake up."

Molly's eyes flickered open.

"Oh, thank god." Liam hugged her with a loud sigh of relief. Molly tried to understand her surroundings, but everything was bending and billowing out of proportion. She squeezed her eyes shut. The darkness felt safer.

"Molly, say something."

Molly didn't respond, unsure of what to say. Finally, rational thought started flowing through her head. _Something about…medicine?_

"I…kicked…" Molly's voice came out raspy. She coughed and tried again. "I kicked that medicine's ass."

Liam laughed and hugged her again.

"Liam? Where am I?"

"Behind Kick's shop. I didn't know what to do, so I just dragged you behind it and hid you in the bushes. I didn't want to run around town carrying you…I mean, I didn't want to scare someone."

"Mhm," Molly said. She ruffled her feathers and froze.

_Feathers?!_

Molly stared down in shock and saw that she was still a duck; still had her webbed feet, beak, and wings. _But I beat it! I saw it flake away! I can feel it not being there, so why am I still like this?_

"Molly? Whats wrong?" Liam asked, his voice concerned.

"Why the heck am I still a duck?!" Molly demanded. Her voice cracked. "I beat the medicine!"

"What do you mean?" Liam queried, his eyebrows knotted together.

"When I passed out, I saw the medicine and I…did a thing or something and I saw it vanish! So why am I still…" Molly looked down at her wings.

"'Did a thing or something'?" Liam didn't seem convinced.

"Who's the one who had the medicine in her head? Me, or you? I think I know what it's like to not have it there!" Molly snapped. Instantly she felt guilty for shouting. _Thats not like me. _She opened her beak to apologize, but was interrupted by Liam's laugh.

"Oh, you beat it all right," he chuckled, patting her head. "It's not restraining your personality, thats for sure."

"Restraining…my personality?" Molly asked cautiously.

"Yeah, the Operation puts you into one of eight categories, from a cranky guy to a peppy little girl, or a flirty smug to a snooty snoot-face."

"Which one did I get?"

"You just got…normal, I think. You're not crazy about sports like Biff or need to be kept away from the café because of the risk of an overdose on caffeine like Pippy."

Molly paused, remembering the countless times she had asked herself if everyone in the town was insane. They weren't all crazy, she was just the only normal one.

"So…I…"

"Yeah, I really hate what the Operation did to you. All of a sudden you were just sweeter than honey and if you so much as raised your voice you'd get all flustered." Liam grinned and Molly rolled her eyes.

"So how did you know it was me? When you arrived to the town?"

"I just had a hunch." he paused. "…Okay, not really. I just saw your face, and…I just knew it was you. Something about your eyes. And when I told you about your old life, about us…the look on your face sealed it."

"Right." Molly shakily stood up. "Well, I guess I might as well get going. See you around, Liam."

"Yeah…" he replied, looking distracted. Molly slipped out from the bushes and walked towards the entrance to Solaris. To her shock, the sun was already dipping below the trees. _I must've been out for the whole day! Was Liam just waiting for me to wake up for all that time?_

Despite being unconscious for several hours, Molly was exhausted. She headed to her house and clambered into her bed. She stared at the ceiling and listened to K.K. Ballad.

After a while, she threw off her covers and replaced the disc with K.K. Bossa.

"Much better," Molly whispered to herself. She turned and leapt back onto the bed, and fell asleep to the peaceful tune.

* * *

_Something's wrong._

Molly's eyes flew open and she felt her heart hammering. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. Standing up, Molly went for the doorknob, swaying on her tired feet. _What time is it? Ugh, it's 1AM. I guess my body's all rested after sleeping for so long._

Shakily, Molly opened the door. She couldn't explain the feeling, just an aching sureness that something bad was happening.

_It could just be superstition, or the after-effects of a nightmare…_Molly's thoughts stopped dead as she saw a brilliant light in front of her.

At first it was beautiful, the brightness licking the sky and sending shards of glitter across the black expanse. It had a repetitive crackling noise and danced in a hypnotizing way.

Then it hit her.

_Oh my god! Liam's house is on fire!_

Molly ran for the house and went to the front door. It was locked. The smoke billowed out one of the windows, and Molly got an idea. She backed up way back and leaped into the air. She spread her wings and felt her feathers tingle with adrenaline. Pouring on speed, she crashed through the window, gritting her teeth as she smashed into the excruciatingly hot house. She flew (literally) up the stairs, where Liam was somehow snoring through the flames and the sound of his window shattering.

"LIAM!" Molly screamed. Liam jerked awake and looked at her.

"Wh-huh?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing in here? The door's lock-"

"Your house is on fire!" Molly yelled in panic. "Get up! We have to get out of here!"

Liam's eyes widened in horror as he stumbled to get up. Together, they raced down to the stairs. Molly froze as she saw flames covering their exits.

"Liam, do you have a vase or something? We need to put water on this, to at least clear an exit!" Molly said tersely.

"Umm…I have a bucket in a drawer, somewhere," he stammered. "I'll get it." he raced for his dresser and stared frisking through it.

_Why don't boys like flowers? If only he bought those sunflowers for sale today in Leif's shop. They came in a vase with water…_

Meanwhile, the smoke was starting to get choking. Molly coughed as the toxins filled her lungs.

"Molly," Liam said softly.

"What?" Molly hissed, terror making her tremble.

"You know how this started, right?"

Molly paused. She hadn't actually thought of it, but the answer was obvious.

"The alligators," they said at the same time.

There was a frustrated silence, then Molly snapped "Where the heck is that bucket?"

"Got it!" Liam gasped, coughing. He held up a tiny yellow bowl.

Molly grabbed it and raced for the bathroom. She turned on the sink and water flowed out. Quickly filling it, she ran for the front door. Flame gripped her leg and she sucked her breath in pain. Stumbling, she threw the water at the door. The flame hissed and sizzled out, the ground still too hot to walk on.

"We can't stay in here much longer," Liam rasped. He handed her a key. "Fly over and open the door. Don't put your feet on the ground, it's too hot." he broke off into a fit of coughs, and he covered his nose with his shirt. Molly carefully flapped above the lock and threw open the door. Molly turned towards Liam, still trapped. Fire was already greedily climbing back towards the door.

"Liam," Molly panted, flying back into the house. "Grab my legs."

"Wha?" Liam grunted behind his shirt, his voice muffled.

"I'm going to fly you over to the door."

"You wont be able to carry me!"

"Trust me!" Molly snapped. "Please! We won't make it out alive if we don't do this."

Liam's eyes flickered with an unfamiliar emotion and he nodded. Molly flapped down a little and he wrapped his hands around her legs.

Molly opened her wings and struggled to fly.

_Jeez. He's heavy._

Molly panted as she tried to tug him across.

"Molly, this isn't working," he said tightly.

"Okay, uh…" Molly stopped flapping and looked around. "Just…run across the floor no matter how hot it is, okay?"

"What?!" Liam stuttered.

"Just do it! You have no choice! Come on, I'll do it with you. On three! One, two, three!"

They both raced for the door, the ashes under their feet agonizingly hot. Liam let out a scream and he practically jumped at the exit, Molly quickly following. They landed on the cool grass, coughing and gasping. Liam was gripping a handful of grass, his eyes wide and full of terror.

_He was terrified._

Of course, Molly was terrified, too. But she had never seen Liam so scared before, not even in her memories. That unfamiliar look he had given her had been a look of fear. Not even the entire alligator episode had invoked such a response.

Liam was staring at the grass and gasping, occasionally making a retching noise, while Molly just coughed.

"You must've been breathing that in for a while," Molly rasped. Liam just nodded.

"You okay?" Molly asked softly.

"No, not really," he muttered. "Come on. We need to get Copper to put this fire out."

"I'll do it," Molly said. "You sit here and let your body get rid of all that smoke."

Liam didn't say anything. He just nodded.

Molly looked back and saw the fire devour the house.

_I should've known they wouldn't just leave us alone, _Molly thought. _Things just got ten times worse._


	16. Chapter 16

**BEHOLD! After two weeks there is finally an update! Sorry for taking so long ;w;**

* * *

Molly felt a hand against her cheek.

"David, she's so young," said a female voice. It didn't sound peppy or vivacious at all, like all the voices of the animals in Solaris. It sounded…human. "I don't want to do this…"

"Come on, honey, you know we have to. I'd rather her be in the New World than here."

"But she wont remember us!" the woman cried.

_They sound so familiar…_

"You don't want her to remember us, Mary," the man replied sharply. "Remember, the government was very clear on that. Anyone who remembers gets…" his voice trailed off.

_Wait…thats…_

"Molly," the woman said softly. "Please. Don't forget us."

_Mother…Father…_

"Just don't make a big stink about it," Father whispered. "Please."

"I love you."

They ran their fingers through her hair. Molly tried to respond, but of course, this was a memory, and so she couldn't. She felt a pillow under her head and a blanket in her hand. _Ah. They think I'm asleep._

"Remember us!" Mother called as she left the bedroom. Molly heard her burst into tears and her heart swelled.

_I didn't forget you two. I remembered, and I promise I'll never let go._

Molly jerked awake by a rapping sound on the door. For a second, Molly seethed in fury that someone woke her up from her dream, and then it melted into concern. _It's three in the morning. What could be so important that someone would wake me up now?_

Molly hastily got up and opened the door. She gasped in surprise when she saw who it was.

"Alfonso! What are you doing here?!"

"Shh, shh!" Alfonso hissed, grabbing her arm. "Alligators are coming to kill you and blow your house up. We have to run and hide!"

Molly looked behind Alfonso and saw Liam, shifting uncomfortably, looking around.

"Blow my house up?" Molly stammered, still blinking sleep away.

"Come on, you must run! I have to go quickly, the alligators will do…terrible things if I'm caught." he shuddered. "There are times I hate the fact that I am invincible for 5 years. They cannot kill me, but they can…" his voice faded off and then he shook his head. "Go! Now!"

"Lets go," Liam whispered, grabbing Molly's wing. "I know the perfect place to hide."

Liam lead her through the dark, silent town. Molly heard the screeching of wheels and a faint "Stop for Solaris, stop for Solaris!"

Liam finally stopped at the Town Hall and opened the door.

"Liam, how is this a good place to hi-"

"Just trust me," he whispered, then strolled to the file cabinet, pushing it with a grunt. The file cabinet moved, and to Molly's surprise, there was a staircase leading under the floor.

"Whats that?" Molly asked curiously.

"It's Isabelle's house."

_She lives underground, under the town hall? Weird._

"Is it really a good idea to barge into her house at three in the morning?" Molly queried.

"Isabelle is at the island. I let her have the day off. Good planning on my part, huh?" he struck a pose, then descended down the stairs. Molly followed, then pushed the cabinet back in place. The room was now pitch black. She heard some shuffling, then a light flickered on.

It was a small, cozy room. The lamp flickered dimly, casting light on a small, simple bed, a fridge, bathroom, and some cooking appliances.

"For one of the most important jobs here, she sure doesn't have very good living conditions," Molly observed.

"Guess not."

"Are you _sure_ it's a good idea to be in your secretary's house right now?"

"Come on! She said I was welcome at any time!"

"Liam, thats just a formality! She doesn't literally mean you can come in anytime you wan-"

There was the sound of a door slamming above them. Liam jumped for the light switch, flicked it down, and the room was bathed in icy darkness once more.

"Hide!" he hissed, and she heard him dive under the bed. Molly scrambled around and found a closet. She snuggled inside and sneezed from the dust. There was a creaking noise, shuffling, a click.

Then a voice.

"Miss Secretary? Are you there? We have to report two residents missing. Isabelle? Where the hell are you?"

A pause, some rustling, and another click.

"Where the heck are those kids?! Even the damn secretary is missing. My resources say they're not in their homes. There's no way they could've known, unless…that damn traitor Alfonso!"

There was some more crackling and static, then a fuzzier, much quieter voice replied.

"N-now, Kevin, don't jump to conclusions…"

"Terry, you idiot, you will call me Sir!"

"Ah! O-of course!"

_Kevin?! Thats the alligator that threatened to shoot Liam and beat up Alfonso…and Terry was the one that got me in the first place. _

"Gather all the alligators and start a town-wide search! If they find either the targets or the group of traitors, bring them to me."

"Yes, sir."

"I will kill them. Slowly. I don't care about the Operation anymore."

Molly trembled in fear.

"Ah, what about Alfonso, sir? He can't, ah, die…"

"Do you think I'll care? I'll rip his limbs off and stab him everywhere until he wishes he _could_ die. Same with the kids. I will do everything in my power to keep them alive while I…" he began listing all the terrible ways he would mutilate Molly and Liam. Molly sank further back into the wardrobe, terrified.

"Terry, I want you to track the duck's chip. Tell me where she is."

Molly's heart practically stopped. _I have a chip?! Oh god no, no, no no no…_

"Yes sir!"

Silence.

"…Um…ahh…"

"What the hell is the matter?!"

"H-her chip, sir! It's…not there…I'm not getting a response from the trackers."

_"WHAT?!_" he roared. "It was there two days ago! What do you mean, you're not getting a response?!"

"It, ah, um…"

"SPIT IT OUT!"

"She got rid of it, sir…she destroyed it. Somehow."

"Thats impossible. It can't be! That medicine is invincible!"

_The medicine! The medicine I fought yesterday…that was my chip! That was how they tracked me!_

"Without it, we can't find the damn duck, you realize that?" Kevin's voice was low and menacing.

"I do! I do, sir!"

"Well, you piece of garbage, send out that town search already before I go over there and rip you to shreds!"

"Gah! Ah, uh, yes sir!"

Crackle, static, silence.

There was some frustrated muttering and shuffling. Molly waited until she was absolutely positive he was gone, then tentatively creaked open the wardrobe door. Liam was already standing in the middle of the apartment, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What just happened?" Molly murmured.

"He had a walkie-talkie and was speaking to his assistant or something."

Then there was another creak, and heavy footsteps.

"Hide!" Molly hissed and dove for the wardrobe again.

After a moment, she heard a voice calling.

"Where aaaare you? Come out, come out, wherever you are."

"Alli! That sounds really fake!"

"We're on your siiiiiiiiide!"

"ALLI!"

"Fine, you try!"

"…Hey, Molly, Liam? We're on your side. We're with Alfonso. If you're in here, you can come out, I swear."

Molly sank to the depths of the wardrobe, not falling for their tricks. Unfortunately, the back of the closet was coated with dust, and Molly inhaled some.

"Ahh…ahh…" Molly clamped her wings over her beak in an attempt to not sneeze, but it was futile.

"Aaaachooooo!" Molly sneezed, then instantly panicked. Her wings spread out instinctively, with only stirred up more dust.

"Gayle! Gayle! Did you hear that?"

"I think so."

"Was it coming from the wardrobe?"

"Think so!"

_Oh no no no no dangit dangit dangit…_

"OOMPF!"

There was a heavy thud and a curse.

"What the heck?!"

"Look, there's someone under the bed! He tripped you!"

"Oh, you little brat."

There was an awful dragging noise.

"Now tell us where your friend is."

"Never!" There was Liam's voice.

They both snickered and their footsteps got closer.

_Please, please don't find me!_

The door swung open, and Molly was face-to-face with a blue polka-dotted, make-up covered alligator.

"There you are!" she said in delight.

"Let go of me!" Molly wailed, the alligator dragging her out.

"Alli, you could've been more gentle," another voice said. Molly looked up and there was a pink alligator covered in hearts.

"Hello, Molly. I'm Gayle, and thats Alli," the said pink alligator introduced. "We're on your side. Alfonso has a team of alligators that are for Corruptions. We had to be rough, because if Kevin finds you first, then…" Gayle's voice trailed off. "…Well, we just can't let Kevin find you, okay? We're going to run."

"But this hiding place is fine!" Liam objected.

"There's about fifty alligators running around town, looking everywhere for you. You thought this was the safest place? You thought this was hidden? Don't forget we have trackers, and we know everywhere." Alli growled.

Gayle winced. "Alli is just being a little rough. But yeah, this place is about as safe as a pool of lava. We have to run to a whole different town."

"Will Porter let us on the train?" Liam asked nervously.

Alli shrugged. "We're alligators. He can't say no."

"We mustn't keep our train waiting," Gayle interrupted. "Lets go."

* * *

They raced to the train and saw Porter at his station.

"Hello," he said to the group, then spotted Liam and Molly. His eyes widened and he pulled a walkie-talkie out of his pockets, then pressed a button. Alli strode forward and snatched the device out of his hands, glaring at him. Porter flinched.

"E-excuse me, eek eek! I have to report you to the big alligator if you're foun-"

"Let us on the train," Alli whispered, her voice terrifyingly icy. "And if you tell anyone we got on-" she crushed the walkie-talkie in her hands, and raised an eyebrow. A couple moments later, they were on a train.

"Um, tell me again, how will going on a train help? Porter will probably tell anyway…" Liam began. Alli shrugged.

"Probably won't help. Heck, we'll probably get caught. But might as well try." Liam pursed his lips but didn't pursue the topic. The train still hadn't stopped, and Molly was getting tired. She started to nod off, when suddenly Gayle spoke.

"You know, you're the only corrupted one left."

Molly looked up. "What?"

"All the other ones have been captured," Gayle murmured.

"Even Chief? He escaped. We saw him!" Liam protested.

"He was caught. He's not dead, but…he's not coming back."

Molly felt her throat close up. _Peanut isn't coming back either. _

"Why do you want to be human so badly?" Molly looked up in surprise and saw that Alli had said it. She wasn't looking at either Molly or Liam, though; she was just observing her nails. Molly waited for her to go on.

"I mean…you're fighting so hard. Running off, remembering…heck, I heard you even destroyed the chip tracking you. Why? Whats the reward?"

Gayle glared at her companion, but Alli looked up and stared intently at Molly, waiting for an answer.

"I just…need it," Molly answered.

"_Want?_" Alli queried, eyebrow raised.

"No!" Molly insisted. "I NEED it. I can't explain it, I just-"

She felt Liam stiffen beside her.

"It's not her," he rasped. "She didn't start it. I'm the one who told her, I'm the one who forced her to remember, it's my fault this is happening!" his voice cracked and he let out a hiss of frustration. "I could've left her alone, I could've…you wouldn't have to worry, you would've been happy, Molly. But I ruined it, I came in and trampled it all because of me. Because I'm selfish. I'm sorry, i'm…"

Alli burst out laughing. Molly stared at her in surprise.

"Really? Do you think it would've been a good idea to let Molly wander around, oblivious? Kid, you would've been killed eventually, or operated on. Your idea is to save the human race, right? How would you do that without Molly? Thats not selfish, trying to save the human ra-"

"No," Liam replied softly. "I didn't do it for the human race. I did it so I could see her again."

Everyone fell silent.

"She could've been happy, and I took it, because I want to see her again. Do you understand?!" he shouted. "Everyone I know is dead! Everyone I've ever heard of in my entire life, they're all dead! And if they're not dead, they're trapped in the bodies of animals! There is nobody here that I know, there is nobody here that remembers what I remember, and I needed someone! And now she's being chased, she's getting BOMBED! She-"

"You think I can't handle it?" Molly snapped. Liam stared at her in surprise, as if he forgot she was there. "I'm not some fragile flower, Liam. I can handle being chased, being attacked! Did you think I was totally oblivious before? No. Before I still had the dreams, the memories, and I didn't know what they were. I couldn't live peacefully because I still had the dreams of my parents begging for me not to forget them before they were killed and I was-" her voice suddenly trailed off. She paused, and whispered, "But when you came, and told me, I knew why they were there, and I wanted to get out. Out of this body, stuck as a duck. I want to be human again!"

Liam looked at her and merely nodded, then looked down at his lap.

"Stop for Sunville, stop for Sunville!"

Gayle looked at Alli, and Alli nodded.

"We're getting off here," she said. They silently got up and left the bus.


	17. Chapter 17

**Quick AN: For the next two weeks or so, My Name is Molly wont be updating. I'm going to be on vacation and wont be able to write! Sorry! This chapter is also pretty short because I had to finish it in two days.**

* * *

Molly walked out into the town of Sunville. Alli quickly gathered them behind her.

"Stay quiet, stay in the shadows, stay careful," she whispered, then scooted behind the message board located directly next to the train station. There was a few seconds of silents while the group sized the town up.

Contrary to its name, Sunville was not sunny. At all. There was hardly any public works projects, the houses were banged-up, and the smell of smoke pervaded the air. The trees bore little to no fruit, and some were completely dead, despite the season being late summer. From her spot, Molly could see a simple streetlight with cracked glass, and a bus stop with a moth circling lazily around its dim lights. Overall, it seemed like a perfect town to be shady and sneak around in.

"Who's the mayor of this place?" Liam whispered, sounding frustrated. "This place is a pile of trash!"

"An alligator. Alligators are the mayors of all the towns," Gayle murmured.

"Then who was supposed to be the mayor of Solar-"

"Probably Alfonso. He let you have his position," Alli interrupted. Liam contemplated this while the rest of the group continued looking around.

"Lets start looking around for a better hiding place," Alli breathed. Carefully, as if the ground were laced with traps, the group inched away from their hiding spot and explored. Then something hit Molly.

"If alligators are the mayors of all the towns, then what happens after they all die in five years?" she asked.

"A villager would take their spot. It's all very carefully planned out. The medicine is programmed to make everyone vote for the best mayor. In fact, if Alfonso lead your town, I think you'd be the next mayor, Molly," Gayle replied. Molly's face went red, but she didn't reply. _Me? They'd all vote for me…!_

Suddenly, a loud alarm started wailing. Everyone jumped and dove behind the café to hide, then cautiously looked out. A group of villagers had languidly gathered around the town hall, where the sound was coming from; they didn't seem alarmed at all.

"Warning! Two criminals are on the loose! Warning!"

Molly tensed. The residents of Solaris would panic, but here, the villagers hardly reacted. One, a yellow elephant, rolled her eyes and muttered "Another crime, huh! What else is new?" the animals around her nodded their heads in agreement.

"Warning! They are a brown duck and an unidentified, peach-furred creature. If seen, report immediately to your mayor! There will be a generous reward! Warning!" At this, the gathered villagers perked up in interest.

"Unidentified peach-furred creature?" Liam repeated, sounding offended.

_Oh, great! Now they have the entire dimension looking for us. This day couldn't get any better! _Molly thought grumpily.

"Well, this town is perfect. There's so much crime that nobody really cares," Alli remarked. "Still, be on your guard." Alli and Gayle kept moving, and Molly and Liam followed. Finally, Gayle stopped.

"Here, this is a good hiding spot," she whispered, gesturing to the ocean.

"Err, there's nothing there," Liam pointed out.

"Past that stretch of water, there's a secret beach that can only be reached by swimming. And villagers hate to swim," Alli answered readily. "So come on."

It took Liam a second to realize what she meant before she shoved him in the water. He spluttered and resurfaced, glaring at her but not daring to shout in their dire situation.

Molly could swim perfectly fine, being a duck, but she flew instead. It was faster, and she reached the small island before the others.

Liam and the alligators clambered onto the mini-beach and plopped himself onto the sand.

"What now?" he asked.

"We wait it out. They'll stop eventually. And if they find us, we can swim away. Liam can ride on my back," Gayle said. Liam frowned.

They sat there for a long time. Just when Molly wanted to explode from boredom, Gayle asked casually, "Whats your plan?"

"Plan for whaa?" Liam mumbled, distracted by a beetle crawling in the sand. How it got there, Molly had no idea.

"Plan for everything. It's not like you can hide from the alligators forever," Alli commented. Liam went red.

"We can't?"

Alli spluttered in surprise. "Are you crazy? Do you think you can just run away for five years and hope all the baddies die before you do?"

"Do we have another choice?" Liam argued.

"You have to come up with one! You'll be dead if you don't!"

"What, break into the alligators' lair and steal a magical cure and heal everyone and make an army of humans to defeat the alligators?" Liam said sarcastically. Alli paused, and Liam smirked, thinking he had won the debate; but really, Alli was thinking.

"You know…" she began slowly. "That could work."

"Bullcrap!" Liam shouted. Molly glanced at him sideways. "The alligators are invincible! Alfonso said it himself. We can't just-"

"But not really," Gayle butted in. "Humans are smart, but not magical. Alligators have a weakness. An Achilles heel, if you will."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Liam said incredulously. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you," Gayle said plaintively. "It's top secret, locked up in my brain. I can't unlock the locks that guard that information."

"Thats bullcrap too. You don't have locks in your brain, you-"

"So, it's perfectly normal to have medicine in your brain, but not a lock?" the pink alligator said, eyebrow raised. Liam fell silent. "If I tried to tell you, I don't know what would happen. Perhaps I'd kill you, or torture you till you swore not to tell. The medicine runs deep in us, and unlike you, Molly, we can't just destroy it. We can ignore it, but we can't get rid of it."

Molly didn't reply. She was idly playing around with the sand, trying to remember some memories of the beaches at home. _Mm, I remember I had a red bucket I used to make sand castles with. And a green shovel. Did I ever use it? I think I just used my hands to scoop sand. _

There was a rather awkward silence, then Liam spoke up.

"So, ah…that plan thing, you said it might work?" he began hesitantly.

"Well, definitely not what you suggested, but something along those lines," Alli answered. "Getting the cure and healing all the humans. The alligators…those, we can-"

Gayle suddenly gasped and shouted "Their weakness is-the…Operation! Perform it on them and they-can't…fight back!" and she sunk to her knees, grabbing her head in her hands.

"Gayle!" Molly cried, snapping out of her stupor and running over to her.

"Stay away from her," Alli ordered, thrusting out her arms. Gayle was on the ground, her eyes unfocusing.

"Come on, Gayle!" Alli murmured, staring intently at her friend.

"Whats going on?" Liam asked tetatively.

"She's fighting her own 'medicine,' if you will," Alli replied grimly. "Lets see if she can beat it."

Gayle convulsed once, then looked up, her eyes wide.

"G-Gayle?" Molly whispered. Gayle looked at her, and her body stiffened. She got up and calmly walked to Molly. "Are you alright?"

Gayle then collapsed again and began coughing violently. "Ack…ugh. Yeah, aah…I think I'm-ahhgh-okay."

"Gayle, you stupid pink pile of goo," Alli said exasperatedly. "You could of killed us. You were loud enough for the villagers to hear us."

"While you were talking, I was planning a way to-ack, ugh-to defeat the…yeah."

Liam jumped up and down excitedly. "We know how to attack the alligators now! We have to-wait, what was their weakness again?"

The two alligators glared at him and Liam laughed nervously. "I was just kidding. But, er, how are we going to Operate on a hundred alligators?"

"Well, counting us, there are nine rebel alligators," Alli said. "We can capture one alligator at a time, operate on them, and put them on our side."

"One more question," Liam said. "Did you used to be humans, too?"

They both stiffened. Gayle answered.

"Yes," she murmured. "We were. But unlike you, we can't go back."

Liam frowned. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Well," Molly said suddenly, clapping her hands together. "Lets get back to Solaris."


	18. Chapter 18

**LO AND BEHOLD, after a thousand years, the next chapter has finally come! I'm so sorry it took so long! **

* * *

"Solaris? Why get back so soon? They could still be searching for us."

"I mean," Molly said, frustrated, "We need a plan. To get the cure."

Liam frowned. "Cure?"

"There has to be a cure for the Operation, right? The humans needed someway to restore their…lab tests," Molly replied.

"Perhaaaaps," Liam murmured, his face tight with concentration.

"We know where it is," Gayle butt in, and Liam looked up with surprise. "However, it is very, very carefully guarded. Getting it would take a lot of effort."

"Well, maybe we should do it, like…_now,"_ Liam said. "After all, half the alligators are out looking for us. It's the best time, right?"

"Well, we need a plan," Alli responded. She shuffled around in her pockets and pulled out a hauntingly familiar black stick.

"Electricity is an alligator's second weakness," Gayle explained, wincing when she said this; _she still must be fighting her own medicine, _Molly concluded. "Shoot an alligator with a taser and they'll be momentarily stunned."

"News flash: That happens to literally everyone," Liam retorted. Without warning, Gayle swiveled towards him, pointed the taser, and pulled the trigger. Molly gasped and dove for Gayle, then saw her eyes glittering with amusement, Liam still perfectly fine.

"But…but the first time, they caught us…they used tasers…" Liam mumbled, still shocked, no pun intended.

"Human tasers," Gayle corrected. "These are specifically for alligators. And before you ask why the heck alligators crafted their own weakness, lets say that this is an invention by me and Alli ourselves." Alli grinned at this.

"Okaay. So, whats the plan?" Liam asked, his voice getting increasingly excited.

"I think we should start like this…"

* * *

Alli and Gayle went into the train station. Molly and Liam were decked out in disguises from the Able Sisters in town; Liam had a knight helmet and a black-denim jacket with one too many pockets, while Molly was wearing a floppy hat and a pink-wave tank.

"Hello, Sir," Gayle said kindly to the conductor. "Could you please take us to Reset Surveillance Center Fourteen?"

The monkey glanced at her skeptically. "Thats been closed for years, eek eek! Are you sure you want to go there?"

"Positive," she replied smoothly.

As the group took their seats, Molly raised an eyebrow at Alli. "Reset Surveillance Center?"

"Thats what our hideout is disguised as," she replied absentmindedly, studying her claws.

The train ride was long and boring. Molly stared out the window as thriving towns turned to ruins to endless fields of emptiness. _I never really considered it…this is a real, true world. Not a garbage can for the human race's experiments. _

"Stop for Reset Surveillance Center 14, stop for Reset Surveillance Center 14!"

Molly jerked back to reality and started to get up. They began leaving the train, and suddenly Alli stopped, whispering to the conductor.

"I'll pay you double if you can wait right here for half an hour and pick us up when we come out. If we don't come out within that time, feel free to ditch us."

"Sure," the monkey said with no hesitation, as Alli handed him the Bells. She thanked him and stepped off.

"So, we understand the plan, right?" Gayle said, her voice low. Everyone nodded. Molly went towards the circular door and opened it, her heart hammering. The gravity of her job was immense.

She forced herself to grin and give the others a thumbs-up, before descending into the depths of the lair.

_Diversion. I need a diversion. _Molly struggled to think straight. _Shouldn't be hard._

She had been selected to distract the alligators, since she was the fastest, and she could fly. The tunnels were very narrow, but the ceilings were high. All she had to do was dodge bullets and tasers and hungry alligators. Easy as pie.

Molly took a deep breath and shouted,

"I'm here, you great piles of dirt! _Come an' get meee!"_

Instantly, there was an earthquake of heavy footsteps. Adrenaline poured itself all over Molly and she ran as fast as she could down the hall.

_Alli said for me to…ugh…take a left, then a right, then…then…yes, another right…_

Molly dared to look behind her and her heart dropped as she saw a pack of alligators racing after her, their expressions furious.

_Okay, okay! Take a left! Go there…aaargh! There are so many!_

Molly jumped up and spread her wings, struggling to fight panic. The feeling of flight calmed her down slightly. She heard a curse, and she quickly zipped down to the side as a bullet flew past her. She kept flapping, waiting to reach the place where she would meet up with the others; by now they probably had the cure. But to her horror, the tunnels opened up into a wide, empty, room.

A dead end.

Molly froze with horror. _I must've missed a turn…or taken the wrong one…_

The alligators hooted and grinned as they cornered their prey. Molly felt sick; _I came this far, only for it to end here?_

No.

No, it wasn't ending here.

Molly raced to think of something. _What do I do, what do I do? Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap._

One alligator stepped up to the front, and took meticulous aim with his gun. Molly surveyed the alligators. Their arms were tense with excitement, waiting to see Molly drop dead; too tense to move quickly and grab their guns if she were to leap over their heads and fly off. The one holding the gun already, however…well, she just had to hope.

She saw his finger move over the trigger. "Any last words?"

"Yeah," Molly said, amazed that her voice was steady. "You're all dumb as doorknobs."

Confusion played out on his face, then shock when Molly ran straight towards him. He was stunned for only a second before he was furious and pulled the trigger; but by then Molly was opening her wings and soaring over all their heads. She gritted her teeth from the effort; she hadn't practiced flying very much, and her wings were utterly unused to the exertion. They shrieked and snapped angrily after her, whirling around to continue the chase. Molly grinned widely, half from hysteria and half from relief. She swerved down a tunnel and saw Alli, Gayle, and Liam just racing out of a laboratory, their clothes lumpy. Molly now saw the need for all the pockets on Liam's clothing; they were all brimming with small vials.

"Run!" Molly shrieked as she swooped down the exit tunnel. They raced after her, the immense amount of alligators still roaring and growling with anger.

Molly saw the ladder and relief flooded her body like an ocean. She flapped up it, her wings burning and numb. She then burst out of it, the rest quickly following, panting and heaving.

"Everyone, in the train, right this instant," Alli demanded. Molly turned and expected to see alligators swarming outside, but none came out of the hole at all. They all obeyed without question, leaping in the train.

"Take us to Solaris," Molly ordered. The monkey nodded calmly, completely unaware of what had just happened under his train.

"Solaris? You sure the alligators are gone by now?" Liam asked as they returned to their seats. His face was red, and he was panting.

"Doesn't matter. We have to distribute these cures." Molly gestured to their lumpy pockets, and Liam pulled out one vial.

"It's so tiny," Molly exclaimed, taking it and observing it. It appeared to be made of glass; it was short and squat and filled with a translucent gray liquid. Molly winced at the memories of the pseudo-gummy bears, filled with a potion of similar characteristics.

"Yeah, I hope it's enough to-" Liam suddenly broke off into coughs, and his body hunched over.

"Are you alright?" Gayle asked in concern.

"Fine, I'm fine, I-ack…" he spluttered, taking some deep breaths. "I'm just-ack-out of…breath, from running that much."

"Bet you swallowed one of Molly's feathers while she was flapping like an ostrich," Alli remarked.

Molly shot her a look.

"I'm fine," Liam insisted. Conversation dwindled after that, and the ride was silent. After about 15 minutes, Alli got up.

"I have to go to the bathroom," she announced.

"Same for me," Gayle said. Liam made a face at them and resumed staring out the window. With both the alligators gone, Molly switched seats, scooting over to Liam.

"You sure you're all right?"

Liam didn't respond for a moment. "Perfectly fine," he replied, and his voice was clear and not raspy at all.

Molly picked up one of the cures in Liam's pockets.

"So this is it, huh?" Molly murmured.

"Yep."

"Think I should…drink it?" Molly turned it over in her wings. The answer she had been looking for for months was in her hands, in this tiny vial.

"No," Liam replied instantly. "No."

He offered no explanation, and Molly didn't question him further.

"Liam?"

"What?"

"If the medicine is all gone, and I can access any memory I want, why-why am I not human? Right now?"

"Because," he said softly, "the medicine erases your most heartbreaking memory. It doesn't lock that one away, it erases it completely."

Molly's heart fell to her feet. "W-what?! Why didn't you tell me that?!"

"Because thats why you need two people to complete the 'ritual'. I need to tell you the memory, and maybe then you can remember it."

Molly blinked. "But do you know what my most heartbreaking memory was?"

His eyes softened. "Not positive," he responded. "But I have a good idea."

"Then why don't you just tell it to me right now?"

Liam opened his mouth to respond, when the train jerked and vials of Operation-cure flung themselves onto the floor. Liam jumped and scrambled for them; they hadn't shattered, which made Molly guess that they were made of some hard-to-break glass. _Of course. Can't have the cure for all your lab tests breaking all over the floor, now._

And then Alli and Gayle came back and their conversation was over.


	19. Chapter 19

The train sped towards Solaris. Molly's heart was pounding as she thought of all those cures held in Liam's hands.

"Okay, so you two, we haven't been a thousand percent honest," Alli's voice chimed in.

"What?" Liam asked, turning away from the window towards them.

"The alligators are definitely in Solaris. But, the team of nine rebel gators lead by Alfonso…they're all there, too. Hiding in bushes and such. Except for us, of course. And they all have the special tasers."

"Okaaay," Molly said slowly. "And?"

"And we're going to get rid of the alligators. Well, at least, we're going to lock them off until they die."

"I thought you said their weakness was the Operation," Molly said accusingly.

"Like we said, we weren't exactly honest. But hey," Alli continued as Liam tried to interrupt. "You guys are still on our side, right? We even have special tasers for you."

"Then what was the point of all that? Getting the cure and everything? I'm confused," Liam said, his face slightly upset.

"We lied about a few things because we wanted to get the cure, mostly because without the cure, the alligators are too afraid to perform Operations. But also because we want the human race back."

"If you lied about some things, did you lie about not being able to be a human again?"

Alli paused. "It was a half-lie. We said we were positive we couldn't be humans again, but, in all honesty…maybe there is a chance."

It was the first time Molly had seen Alli not being harsh or sarcastic, which was a nice change.

"Stop for Solaris, stop for Solaris!"

"You're saying-there's going to be a war? Right now?" Molly asked, her voice shaky.

"Of sorts."

"That would've been nice to know!" Liam spluttered as they started getting up from their seats. "We're kids, and you're just throwing us into the thick of a hundred alligators shooting bullets and electricity like spitballs?"

Gayle turned to Liam. "You aren't kids. Kids don't struggle with their minds to become someone they don't remember. Kids don't risk their lives every day trying to do so. Kids don't get hunted down for trying to be who they once were. You two are adults. So kindly act like it."

Liam glared at her. "Thats not how it works," he began, but they were already moving off the train.

"Molly," Alli said. "This is extremely important. You need to take the cures, round up all the villagers, and take them to Kappn's island. They cannot be caught in the crossfire." she turned to Liam. "You're a human, and you have things alligators don't, so you'll be fighting."

Liam nodded tersely as Alli handed him a taser. Gayle gave one to Molly, just for self-protection.

"No!" Molly gasped. "You can't throw him into war and make me run off to a safe home! Thats completely unfair; and I can fly! I can shoot them from above!"

"And they'll just point their guns up instead of forward. Easy." Alli countered flatly. "No time for arguing. Go!"

They exploded out out of the train station, Alli and Gayle immediately shooting into the crowd. Liam turned towards Molly.

"Molly," he said softly. "Don't worry about me, alright? Just go and send the villagers into the island. Please." He handed her the cures, and Molly took them hesitantly. They shared a glance, and Liam ran out of the station, Molly quickly following. She looked around and saw Filbert, cowering under a tree, eyes wide.

_Round up the villagers. _Molly started towards him.

"M-molly! They said you were a criminal! I ha-have to report you…" he stuttered.

"They were lying, Filbert. They're the bad guys. We need to get everyone to the island, now." Molly's heart swelled with rage at the thought of poor Filbert, clueless and afraid, hiding from the big creatures searching for his neighbor and calling her an evil criminal. _He's so innocent! _

Filbert paused, then nodded. "Are we going to get hurt?"

"If we stay here, yes. We're going to get hurt."

"Whats all that in your hands?" Filbert asked. Suddenly his eyes narrowed and he studied the cures silently.

_He remembers them, _Molly realized. _From the candy._

"No time to explain. It's a very long story." Molly grabbed his paw. They ran around the village and gathered up all the residents of Solaris, then started towards the dock. They were halfway there, when a horrible sight caught Molly's eyes and she stopped dead.

An alligator was sitting on top of Liam, right outside the town hall. Liam was yelling and scrabbling, and before Molly knew what was happening, the alligator gripped the top of Liam's head and tugged it up.

_No…_

The alligator sharply bashed Liam's head on the pavement. A strangled shriek leaped out of Molly's throat.

"Filbert," she gasped, trembling. "Filbert, take these vials. You have to lead the rest of the group into the island, I have to help Liam, please hurry!"

Filbert nodded, his eyes scared. He took the cures and raced off to the dock. Molly started towards Liam, who was still screaming as the alligator grabbed the top of his head, smirking in delight.

Molly was almost there. She was so close, when suddenly, an arm closed around her wing.

Molly whirled around to see her attacker. And her heart nearly stopped.

"Jacques, what the hell are you doing?!" Molly screamed. Jacques glared at her, his eyes wild with anger, his grip tightening.

"That kid, that kid you're chasing after! I'm sick of you making cow eyes at him. Stay back and let that gator do what he does best."

Molly shrieked at him, unable to comprehend words. The alligator bashed Liam's head on the pavement again and Molly strained, strained with all her might towards him. Liam stopped screaming, the light left his eyes, and he dropped like a ragdoll.

"_LIAM!" _Molly wailed.

"I'm not letting you save him," Jacques said softly. "So just-"

Molly felt a burning rage in her body. _He could be dead, because of this jealous bird. I will kill him. I will kill him._

Molly brought her knee up and kicked him right where it counted. His grip instantly faltered and Molly rocketed for the alligator. She whipped out her taser and shot him, repeatedly pressing the trigger even after the alligator had fallen. She ran to Liam and dropped next to him.

"Liam," Molly choked out, trembling with terror and fury. "O-oh my god, Liam." _Don't you just sit there like an idiot! Do something, Molly!_

Molly could not stop reliving those moments. She was so utterly helpless as Liam's head was hit against the pavement. It must've been painful; he had gone from yelling in anger to screaming in fear. Screaming in a terrifying, horrible way.

Molly's blood ran cold as she realized what she had to do next. Slowly, trembling, the sounds of war went silent around her as she dipped her head next to where Liam's heart was. She knew she'd hear the steady beat, the drum of reassurance that everything was alright.

Instead, she found nothing.

Molly felt sick as the world spun out of control.

"Liam, no, you bastard, don't you dare die on me now," Molly rasped to him. Being angry was the only energy powerful enough to keep her sanity running. She thought of Jacques. If he hadn't clutched her like that, Liam would be alive. The fuel she needed shot through her and she screamed, screamed at Liam. "Wake up! Wake up! I did not go through hell and back for you to die! _Wake! UP!"_

Trembling, Molly's hand brushed over his wrist. _He can't…he can't be dead. It's not possible._

All hope was drained from Molly's body, and she was ready to start running off to beat up Jacques. She summoned her strength, and tried to get up.

Instead, she burst into tears. She sobbed loudly and uglily, looking at the pallor of Liam's face. _Dead. _It didn't seem real, it couldn't-

And then she felt it. A stirring. Molly gasped and choked and she madly traced where she had felt the movement. Her wing was still on Liam's wrist, and she could just scarcely feel it. _A pulse!_

"Liam? Liam! Say something!" Molly gripped him and shook him, and she knew it was a bad idea, especially with his head; but she couldn't stop herself. "Say something, you idiot! Please!"

And then light came back to Liam's eyes, and they drifted towards her. They were flickering with all sorts of things; pain, confusion, relief.

But there was one thing that was not there.

Recognition.

"L-Liam…?" Molly looked at him, waiting for a response. He stared at her with a frown. "Liam, are you okay? Say something!"

"…Who…" he began, and then his eyes, his dark-brown, almost black eyes, rolled away and faded off again. Molly looked around and finally reality came to her; she was in the middle of battle. It was a miracle that with all her sobbing and screaming she hadn't been noticed yet. She had to get Liam to somewhere safe. _My house is nearby, _Molly quickly calculated. She soon came across a problem; Liam was around nine times her weight, considering she was a tiny duck. There was no way she'd be able to drag him to her house, let alone lifting him so his head injury didn't bump along the ground. Molly needed help. But all the villagers were probably halfway to the island by now; the alligators were in tight war; and there was no time to grab shopkeepers or anyone. She felt the tears pricking her eyes again; would the odds _ever _be in her favor? Molly sighed and looked at the sky, trying to formulate an idea. However, halfway on her eye's journey to the sky, she spotted someone, leaning against a cedar tree. Observing silently.

"You," Molly said softly. Liam was still yelling, still lucid even when the alligator had hit his head once, but the second time…something deep and irreparable had happened. She saw it in the brief moment he was awake. Jacques caused it; and she would never forgive him.

"What?" Jacques asked, voice defeated.

"I hate you." Molly looked at him, channeling all her despair and fury into her gaze. "Are you an idiot? Did you think stopping me and potentially _murdering _Liam would make me like you?!"

Jacques didn't reply, he just silently walked over to her. Molly quickly braced herself for the punch that was sure to come; but he did something worse. He curled his wings under Liam's body.

"What are you do-"

"Well? Are you going to help me or what?" he replied flatly. Taken aback, Molly nodded silently. With effort, they lifted Liam together. He was still out cold.

"My house," Molly ordered. After some huffing and puffing, they managed to get Liam in Molly's classical-themed bed. She stared at the intricate carvings on it, the shafts of light pouring in from the window, highlighting the dust motes in the air.

"Molly," Jacques began.

"Go. Get to Kappn's island. Now."

"Molly, no," he insisted. "We need to talk."

"Like hell I'm talking to you. The only thing I enjoyed about you was kicking you in the crotch," she snapped.

"I did it because I was jealous, okay?! I know you like him!"

Molly's face turned red-hot. "He's my friend, Jacques! We're not even of the same speci-" her voice caught on the end of the sentence and she just glared at the navy-blue bird.

"I did it because-I'm sorry. I don't know." Jacques seemed at a loss for words, holding out his wings helplessly.

"Why, why on earth would I forgive you?" she whispered. "I can't. Look at him. I thought he was dead."

"But I know why I helped you."

Molly looked at him, mildly curious, but really wanting him to leave.

"I helped you because he's the mayor of this damned town, and this town is my home. I didn't do it for you, okay?"

"Good. I don't want any favors from you." Molly looked away. She wondered why he cared about who owned his town or not; and then she realized.

_I remember him when he was a human._

She went rigid as she remembered his features; the same sea-green eyes and beanie, the same hair dyed navy blue, the same whiskers on his chin.

_His house burnt down, didn't it? And his father…he died in the fire. Thats why he cares. He cares more about his home than a normal person._

"I'll leave, Molly," Jacques murmured. Yes, even his voice was exactly the same. It sent chills through her spine. "But I want you to tell me what is going on here."

_He was kind…he wasn't as smug and annoying as he is now. The Operation changed him._

Molly didn't trust her voice to remain steady, so she gave a very vague response. "Those alligators wanted us to forget. But we want to remember."

Jacques glared at her. "What's that supposed to m-"

"Just leave!" Molly snapped. He huffed in exasperation and exited the house. Molly watched him go, then looked back down at Liam, her heart pounding with concern. _Please, let him be okay. I need him._


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry the update took so long! Stuff's been going on IRL ;w;**

* * *

Molly stared down at Liam. Now that she had gotten used to the idea that he was still alive, he looked less _dead _and more…asleep. Peacefully. His chest rising and falling, his arm involuntarily sliding over the sheets and tightening them around his shoulders. She felt the tears come again, but forced them away.

Molly had no idea how long she sat there, waiting for him to awaken until the door creaked open and rays of sunset shimmered through. Molly looked up in surprise to see Alli.

"Is it over?" Molly croaked.

Alli nodded. Her blue-scaled face was ashen. She just leaned by the doorframe and observed the house.

"Did we lose anyone?" Molly asked tentatively.

Alli's face contorted with grief. "Yes. We lost Buttons, Liz, and Pironkon."

Molly nodded. Saying that she'd never seen any of those gators in her life was probably a bad idea.

"Whats up with him?" Alli asked, gesturing to Liam. Molly bit her tongue.

"His head. An alligator caught him and bashed it against the pavement. Twice." she said the words much faster than normal, wanting them to be out of her mouth.

Alli's eyebrows hitched themselves up. "Really? Let me check it out."

Molly obeyed and sidestepped. Alli rubbed her claws around his head. "He has a concussion, alright. Pretty bad one. But he'll live."

Relief drowned Molly like an ocean wave, and the water threatened to spill out through her eyes.

"Right now we ought to wrap up his head. Have any cloth?" Alli asked, her eyes flicking up to Molly.

In a couple minutes, Liam's black hair was poking out under a wrap of bandages. He still was unconscious.

"Alli, what will the concussion do to him?" Molly whispered. "Will he be the same?"

"What do you mean?" she responded quizzically.

"He woke up when I reached him, but…I don't know. Something was wrong."

Alli frowned. "Well…he could be disoriented."

And suddenly, Liam moaned. Molly jumped before calming herself and assuming it was voluntary; when he shifted and she saw him blink.

"Liam!" Molly exclaimed.

Liam's head turned towards her, and his gaze flitted over Alli. But there was that thing again; his eyes were different. They didn't seem to belong to him.

"Liam," Molly repeated. "How are you feeling?"

Liam's gaze dropped back to her and he frowned. "Why are you…" his voice was raspy and he trailed off.

"What, Liam?" Molly asked with a frown.

"Why are you a duck?" he asked sleepily.

"I haven't had my last memory told to me yet, Liam, so I'm not a human yet."

His face bent with confusion. "How do you know my name?"

That sentence made everything crash, the walls tumble, the sky fall.

"W-what?" Molly barely managed to stutter. Alli's eyes widened.

"Oh, no," she murmured. Molly whirled to face her.

"What do you mean?! Whats wrong?! How come he can't remember me?!"

Alli's eyes glittered and she didn't respond.

Molly faced Liam again. His eyes, his jet-black, wide, beautiful eyes were gone. There was someone else entirely reflected there. For some reason, her mind went back to what Gayle had said.

_"You aren't kids. Kids don't struggle with their minds to become someone they don't remember. Kids don't risk their lives every day trying to do so. Kids don't get hunted down for trying to be who they once were. You two are adults. So kindly act like it."_

And Liam had been right; that wasn't how it worked. They were kids. No amount of what had happened could change that; they were innocent. And Liam had still been robbed.

Then a horrible thought hit her. _If he's lost his memory, how can he tell me _my_ last memory?_

Liam rolled over so his head faced the ground and threw up over the side of the bed. Molly was still stunned and she just awkwardly stood there.

And then the clouds cleared. "Molly," Liam breathed. His eyes narrowed and he frowned. "Molly?" he repeated.

And then everything was fixed, the walls went back up, and the sky climbed to its original position.

"Holy crap, Liam, you scared me," Molly gasped. She couldn't fight them now, the tears were coming. "Holy crap."

"It's okay," he mumbled. "I just don't get…why am I here? What happened?" his eyes were still confused, but they were his, they were his, they were his.

"The alligators, Liam, they…" Molly trailed off.

Liam winced. "Damn, my head hurts." He wiped his mouth and rolled back into a comfortable position.

"…They hit your head. Against the stones." Alli filled in. Molly sighed with gratitude; she didn't dare risk speaking, for surely her voice would shake.

Liam's eyes widened. "What? That sounds like it would kill me…"

"It could," Alli responded. "But it didn't, luckily enough."

"What do you remember?" Molly said quickly, furious at her voice for quivering. Luckily, the alligator and human both had the grace to not acknowledge it.

"Umm…It's foggy. The last thing I remember was going into the alligator's lair," he said. "But everything after that…it's just nothing. I don't know how i just completely forgot _everything_ a second ago, but I remember it now. Molly?"

Molly's tears had finally broke through and were sliding down her oily feathers.

"D-do you remember waking up before?" she asked huskily.

Liam shook his head. Then his mouth cracked into a grin. "Hey, kind of funny, right? After all this, trying to get your memory back, I'm the one who loses it. Go figure."

Molly smiled, knowing he was trying to make the situation better. He coughed and sank back into bed. "But really, I feel like crap, can I sleep now?"

"Of course," Molly whispered. Liam nodded and his head sank back into the pillow, and he quickly lost consciousness again.

"Molly, you ought to go outside," Alli said after a while. "Get the villagers back and all."

"I should clean up…" Molly mumbled, staring at the pile of filth on the ground.

"I'll take care of it." Alli shooed her away, and Molly was grateful. Cleaning up the floor was the last thing she wanted to do. Molly nodded towards her and left the home. Outside was a battlefield of alligator bodies; Molly shuddered and reminded herself that they were all evil. She spotted a few alligators putting some into wheelbarrows and others stuffing them into bags. Molly decided to look away.

She was aimlessly wandering around when she bumped into an alligator that wasn't asleep. She looked up in surprise.

"Oh, sorry," Molly stammered.

"No problem," replied a deep, throaty voice. "I'm Sly. You must be Molly."

"Yup," Molly said, then trailed off, unsure how to continue.

"Where's the boy? Liam, was it?"

Molly frowned. "Concussion. But he'll live."

"Ah, good. I thought it was quite foolish of Alli and Gayle to send him into battle. After all, he's the last human left! Would've been terribly inconvenient if he died."

Molly recoiled at this. _He's not an experiment! He's not some trophy to observe!_

"I'm kidding," he added at Molly's annoyed expression, nudging her with his large shoulder.

Still unsure of what to say, Molly gestured to the bag he was handling. "Who's in there?"

Grief shadowed Sly's face. "Pironkon," he replied solemnly. "He lost his life in the battle."

"Aren't they invincible?" Molly replied skeptically, then backtracked. "I mean, uh, thats what Alfonso sai-"

"Thats what we all thought, too. Nobody knows how it happened. Maybe it was a lie. Who knows?" Sly shrugged. "Bah! I'm glad it's over. I don't remember my past life, but I sure know I hated the whole Operation idea. Working with the government was not fun!"

Molly blinked and widened her eyes. "You worked for the government?"

"Hah! Of course! All the gators worked for the government. Thought you knew!"

Molly's jaw dropped. _Liam's father!_

"R-right. Nice talking to you, Sly. I have to get the villagers," Molly stuttered, abruptly ending the conversation. Sly grinned and patted her on the head, and continued off.

Molly turned, flipped open her wings, and took off rather ungracefully. She flapped her wings, heading for the island. And as she got closer, the sun blazed into the water, a flaming ball of orange-purple heat. The ocean reached for it, its desperate fingers glowing white as the sun slowly descended down. The clouds watched the show, glimmering pink in the sunset. Molly stopped moving for a moment and observed the beautiful scenery from high in the sky; the scent of saltwater and the crashing of waves, combined with the view of Solaris was enough to take her breath away. She looked at her wings, the feathers fluttering and the muscles pumping to keep her aloft. She loved it, the feeling of wind in her feathers.

But it would all vanish soon. When Liam woke up, and if he still remembered her last memory, then it would be gone. Molly's heart twisted. DId she really want it? Would she give up her heightened senses and flight to be a human again? What purpose did it serve? She had promised Liam; would he understand? She bit her tongue at the memory of Liam, clutching the train seat, yelling at Gayle and Alli.

_"No, I didn't do it for the human race. I did it so I could see her again. She could've been happy, and I took it, because I want to see her again."_

After all this, could she take it away from him?

But as Molly continued flying, she realized something. _This body, these wings, these senses, they're not mine. And they don't have good memories associated with them. This body carries the burden of pain, being chased, fear, and helplessness. This body is not me, and I am not this body._

Molly flew faster over the ocean. _My abilities have saved me and my friends many times. But it's over, and I'll never have to use them if I don't want to. _Molly looked forward, and yelled out loud into the night, "My name is Molly, and I am a human!"

* * *

**I just realized…over the course of this story I have learned quite a bit about duck anatomy. Several times I've had to search up the average weight of a duck, if ducks have lips, how far a duck can fly, etc, just in case any of you guys out there are duck professors and are alarmed by my minuscule knowledge on ducks. Oh the irony.**


	21. Chapter 21

**…That was quite possibly the longest writer's block I've had since I joined FF. Yeesh. Blame school.**

* * *

"What was that?"

Molly skidded to a stop (if skidding is possible when you're airborne) and looked around. Her face turned red at the sight of a kappa who had apparently heard her shouting at nothing. Molly fumbled.

"What-I-um…"

"No matter, yar har har! Kapp'n knows he's gone singin' ta himself before! But lass, ye gotta pay the fee to enter the island. Can't just fly in all willy-nilly like ye are now."

"Oh, I'm just getting my friends," Molly replied. "I wont stay long."

The kappa shrugged. "I don't write te rules, lass."

Molly sighed and flapped down to Kapp'n, paying him the 1000 bell fee.

"Thank ye, lass," he replied. "Have yerself a good time." Molly nodded and went into the island. Luckily, nobody was on tour, so that made the job quicker. All the villagers looked up curiously when Molly entered the small hut.

"OMG! Molly! Where were you?!" came a high-pitched squeal from the corner. Molly turned around and saw Pippy jump up from where she had been sitting (next to Leila who was now pouting that her new playmate's attention had been stolen by Molly) and run to Molly.

"Sorry, Liam needed help," Molly apologized. "But it's all good now. We can go back."

Pippy nodded. "But seriously, like, what even happened? One second I was eating apple crisp under a tree and the next second there was all these alligators everywhere, telling us you and Liam had run away because you were criminals or something! Nobody bought into it, though, so whatever! Anyway, while you were at Solaris, we-"

"Okay, Pippy," Molly interrupted. "Are you ready to go?"

"Totally! Everyone's ready," Pippy answered.

It turned out only four villagers could fit onto Kappn's boat, so six stayed at the island while Biff, Cherry, Pippy, and Butch left. After about fifteen minutes, Kapp'n came back.

"The next four can hurry up 'ere," he called into the hut. "Then I'll come back fer ya stragglers."

"No, thats fine, Kapp'n," Jacques said suddenly. "Me and Molly can fly home." Molly stared at Jacques, bewildered. The last thing she wanted to do was spend several minutes alone with him, but it was too late; Purrl, Filbert, and two residents Molly didn't even know that well named Friga and Kidd-which went to show how much time she spent with Liam and working on the whole medicine deal-had already jumped onto the boat and Kapp'n was already starting up the engine. As the boat starting chugging along the ocean, Molly stood still as a statue next to Jacques, who was walking out onto the dock.

"Well?" he said. "Come on, lets go."

Molly looked at him and didn't conceal her look of loathing.

"Come on," he repeated.

Molly sighed loudly, fully aware that she was being a jerk, and walked next to him. He nodded and opened his wings, then jumped off the dock.

Molly watched as the final dying rays of sunlight managed to catch his feathers for just barely an instant before shimmering away, leaving him a dark shadow soaring through night. Molly took a deep breath and leaped after him, flapping hard to get herself in the air. Jacques slowed down considerably, waiting for her to catch up.

"I don't get why we have to fly side-by-side," Molly said irritably.

"Calm down for half a second, will you? Jeez," he shot back. This filled Molly with frustration.

"I'M the one who should calm down? Who's the one who-"

"I told you I was sorry," Jacques broke in.

"Sorry? More like you yelled at me that you only half-helped because you felt like it, you self-righteous ass."

Jacques groaned and rolled his eyes. Molly tried flying away from him, but he followed.

"Look," he said in a frustrated tone. "I had no idea what I was doing."

"Hey look at that, I'm grabbing Molly's arm and telling her to stop running and let Liam get killed, oops. Accident on my part!" Molly imitated in Jacques' voice sarcastically.

"But I didn't know what I was doing, Molly! They're the ones who said you were criminals!"

"Stop trying to justify it! No one in Solaris bought that criminal thing, Jacques!"

"Okay, fine, you're right, I can't justify it. But hey, the mayor's alive, right? So-"

"I am going to slap you," Molly announced.

"You are such a pain sometimes," he sighed.

"Look who's talking."

Jacques looked off into the distance with a frown. They flew for several minutes in silence, Molly boiling with anger and Jacques freezing with conflicted feelings.

"Just…tell me why," Molly rasped. Jacques stayed silent. When he spoke, his voice was considerably more exhausted.

"Isn't it obvious? Because I like you, Molly. And I did when I was a human, too."

Molly stopped dead and dropped several feet before scarcely managing to flap again.

"H-how do you know about that?" Molly spluttered.

Jacques looked towards her. "Heh. Thats for me to know, and for you to find out. Heh!" he answered, his voice sounding just like it did the time she had met him.

"No, seriously, stop playing around. How do you know about that?" Molly pressed, still trying to recover.

"Hey, look! There's Solaris," he said, clearly evading the question. He sped down to the dock and landed, then took off into the sand.

"Jacques! JACQUES!" Molly yelled, landing and chasing after him. But he had already escaped into the night. Molly let out a clear huff of frustration.

"That bird," she sighed. "Sometimes I don't understand him."

* * *

Molly woke up. For a second, everything was the same; she'd get up, eat breakfast, play some violin, water her garden, say hello to her friends, and go see what Liam was doing. For a moment she just stared at the sunbeams filter in through the window, highlighting the dust dancing in the air.

Then it was back to business.

Alli had carried Liam to his own bed sometime when Molly was at the island, so she had been able to get a good night's rest; but now it was time to check up on him and see if he was okay. She flung off the sheets, briefly considered making the bed, decided to later (aka never) and ran out the door. She walked up the hill to Liam's house, the golden roof glinting off sunlight. Of course, the HHA claimed the roof was real gold, but everyone knew it was just metal painted yellow. She pondered this as she knocked on the door, then realized it was unlocked. She opened it tentatively and looked around.

"Liam?" she called. No response. He was probably still out cold.

Molly walked up the stairs to his bedroom, remembering doing the same thing a few months back. There was no trace of the fire that had burned his home up, which Nook had replaced at lightning-fast speed.

Sure enough, Liam was there on his bed, mouth open and making half-snoring noises. His head was still wrapped in the white bandages. Molly walked up to the side of the bed.

"Liam," she repeated. She wanted to check if he was unconscious or asleep.

Liam stopped half-snoring, as if questioningly, then resumed. Molly rolled her eyes and poked him. Liam shifted.

"Five more minutes," he murmured. Molly grinned.

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

"How'd you get in? Door's locked," he mumbled, words blurred by either sleep or his concussion.

"Quite the contrary. It was open."

"'Quite the contrary'? Did you really just say that?"

"This is the part where you say good morning back to me, Liam."

"Right." he yawned and stretched. "So, uh, morning. What brings you here? State your purpose."

Molly laughed. "I wanted to check to make sure you weren't suffocating on your blankets or something. Snoring while lying on your back shows that you aren't breathing right, y'know."

"I was snoring? Don't tell me you videotaped it," Liam said with a smile.

"I would've, but you know about the whole lack of phones and cameras and such."

"Oh, right."

Molly went back to the stairs. "I'll let you sleep on your back with your half-snoring breathing problems for a little while more."

"Molly," he said, stopping her. The goofy mood suddenly changed.

"What is it?" Molly asked, turning around.

"What happened?"

She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she stalled. "What do you mean?"

"You and Alli told me that an alligator caught me and hit my head against some pavement, but I don't remember any of it. How did an alligator get close enough to me to do that?"

Molly sighed. She wasn't fully prepared to retell the story, but she did it anyway. When she got to the part where the alligator caught Liam, she paused.

"You don't have to go on," he said.

"No, I…" Molly took a deep breath. "An alligator. He jumped on you, and grabbed your head. Then…I saw it…and I was running toward you to stop him."

Liam nodded, his eyes wary, as if he was afraid of where the story would turn.

"But someone stopped me and I saw it…he did it twice…the second time, you lost consciousness. I managed to get free, and you woke up for a few seconds, but nothing else really happened, I guess."

"Who stopped you? An alligator?" Liam queried.

"Uh…yes," Molly mumbled. She decided that telling Liam that Jacques had done it was most likely a bad idea.

"That sucks. Oh well, I'm fine now. And hey, Molly?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow's the day."

Molly looked up, her heart thumping. "Do you mean-"

"Yes, I remember. I got the memory down. But right now…" Liam trailed off.

"Thats totally fine." Molly started down the stairs.

"Molly," Liam called, and she paused again. "Take this."

Molly backtracked and walked back to Liam. He handed her a letter.

"When'd you write this?" Molly asked in surprise.

"I woke up in the middle of the night. Don't open it until you get home, alright?"

"Okay, got it. See you." Molly waved awkwardly and went down the stairs. She practically sprinted to her house and opened the letter. Inside was some clean, white, lined stationary with one simple sentence.

_Meet me at the first place._


	22. Chapter 22

**This is IT. The chapter that I've been dragging out for this WHOLE DANG STORY. And it's longer than usual. Enjoy! :'D**

* * *

Molly frowned at the note as she plopped into her still-unmade bed. _First place? _That could be a million places. The first place that she remembered? The first place she found out about her true self? The first place she met Liam? And if that, where? She had met him twice; once in her past, and once in her present. Of course, there were tons of other 'first places', but Molly was betting that out of that pile of places, the 'first' one would be something related to the whole journey.

_Lets see which ones make sense…the place I found out about myself? No, that was around the middle of town, and Friga put her house around there…The first place I met Liam was in the middle of the school field, but there is no fields in Solaris. The second time was at the train station. Could that be it?_

Molly pondered for a moment. _But I wasn't really meeting him, I was just seeing him once more, and that wasn't the first place. Maybe then it's the first memory I have?_

Molly took a deep breath. This one was going to be tricky.

She closed her eyes and reached back far as she could into the chasm of memories. Last she could recall, she was at a hotel; but there were no hotels in Solaris.

Then, as if her arm had been magically extended to grip a something farther than she could reach, a memory filled into her mind. Molly was surprised; this one was from a very, very long time ago. She was surprised that she could remember it.

It was so hazy and fleeting that Molly wondered if she had dreamed it. She reached for it, but the memory vanished like smoke.

Molly seethed at this, then her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten yet. Molly quickly found out that she didn't have any food left, so she went out and harvested some more fruit.

As she ate the breakfast, she thought about the memory. She knew it was there; it was frustrating beyond belief to not be able to reach it.

"Wait," she said out loud. "Liam probably wont be able to get up until tomorrow…so I guess I'll just sleep on it."

Turned out Molly had all sorts of chores to do, such as explaining a rough outline of the story to many of the confused villagers, collecting the cures, storing them in her house for later. For some reason, Molly didn't want anyone drinking the cure and becoming human; not because she wanted to be the first one, but…it just felt right.

By the time Molly was done running around, the sun was setting.

"Where does the time go?" she asked herself softly as she cleaned up her house, which was getting dusty. She had thought all day about where the 'first place' was, but couldn't form a logical guess.

Night eventually fell, and when it did Molly curled up in the covers, wondering if she'd dream. She yawned and allowed the wave of sleep to drown her.

* * *

Molly woke up early. She blinked her eyes groggily and looked around her house. She went to snuggle back into the covers when she suddenly remembered. Frustration surged through her; her mind didn't give her a dream or a clue about the first place.

She sat on her bed, thinking, when suddenly she had the strange sensation again; as if a hand was in her mind, helping her stretch for a memory from long ago.

And then it all made sense.

_Molly, this is Brookline Plaza. Look at the tree in the middle! Isn't it pretty?_

_Why is it pink, mommy?_

_Because it's the beginning of spring, and those are the cherry blossoms._

_Who's that?_

_Hm? Oh, it's a boy with his mother. Do you know him?_

_I've seen him at school. His name is Liam. He just stared at me!_

_I'm sure he just recognizes you too. Wave!_

Molly blinked twice at the memory. _That was so long ago! Could it possibly…_

There was a plaza in Solaris, with a big tree in the middle; and the cherry blossoms had just started up a day ago. It couldn't have been a coincidence. Molly leaped out of bed, dressed herself, inhaled a banana, and ran out the door. She followed the paths through the forest and past the pond (which had some frogs lazily hopping around) and broke into the clearing where the plaza was. And there, sitting on the bricks surrounding the tree, was Liam.

"Hey," Molly said breathlessly.

Liam blinked and looked at her. "Took you long enough."

"How was I supposed to know where the 'first place' was?" Molly retorted. Liam's eyes widened at that, but he quickly blinked and got up.

"You ready?" he said gently.

Molly nodded. "I've had a long time to think about it, Liam." they grinned at each other.

"Well…," he started. "I'm guessing your worst memory was of your brother, um, dying."

"Right," Molly said. Suddenly she felt nervous. Was she prepared to hear this? She steeled herself and listened. Suddenly Liam took her wings in his hands and squeezed them, not letting go.

"Well…you liked your brother a lot. He was older than you. His name was Dustin."

Molly nodded. She had a few memories of him, but she was very little in most of them. She remembered him being tall with dark brown hair and a perfect smile.

"But one day, Dustin got sick, and he stayed in bed for a while. When the doctor came to help, he confirmed…it was the plague."

Molly nodded again, biting her tongue.

"So Dustin slowly started withering away. He couldn't play games anymore, and soon the plague even took over his mind, and you couldn't even interact…and one day he called for you, over and over, in the middle of the night. You woke up and went to him, and he said he was dying and he wanted to say goodbye."

Molly tensed at the memory. She had repressed it for so long, but it finally came to her. She remembered her brother's gray face, his eyes flicking from side to side.

_But wait…this memory…it wasn't like I didn't know it. I could've remembered it if I tried, but I didn't._

"And, well, I don't know what happened after that. I just know he died."

Liam hung his head silently, as if mourning her brother. Molly blinked and waited. Her heart pounded with the feeling of sorrow and grief, tears slowly coming to her eyes, but not falling. For a minute, they just stood in that position.

"Um…" Molly began. "Is…something supposed to happen?"

"I think…" Liam said. "Do you remember it?"

"Yeah. I think I always did, actually…"

Liam's face fell. "What? Really?"

"I'm pretty sure. I just didn't want to remember it, so I never thought about it, but yeah. I think I already knew."

Liam frowned. "Well, then I'm not sure what-" and then his eyes widened for a moment.

"What?"

"I think I know," he said softly. "Yeah. I think I know."

* * *

_I walked up the hill steadily, the dandelions squishing under my feet. The sky was a deep azure, and puffy clouds passed danced on it, as if the sky were a stage. It would've been a beautiful day if only it weren't Operation Day._

_"Hey. Took you long enough," came a familiar voice. I looked up and saw her. I cracked a grin._

_"Well, how was I supposed to know where the 'first place' was?" he said teasingly._

_We were sitting behind the school in the field, where we'd first met. We stared at each other for a while._

_"Liam…" she said. "I don't want to forget you."_

_"You do, trust me. They wont forgive people who remember."_

_"It doesn't matter! I want you to come, Liam…"_

_"Remember? I tested positive."_

_"I know…" she mumbled, picking a dandelion from the ground. "I just…I'll remember you, got it?! I swear I will."_

_"I don't want you to! You'll get killed," I snapped. Would she ever see sense? I'd explained this to her a million times._

_"Okay," she said softly. We stared at each other, and I tried memorizing every detail of her face. The rosy cheeks, the light brown hair that came down to her shoulders._

_Suddenly there was a loud alarm, and a crackly, static voice, no doubt from a loudspeaker. "Calling all residents to main plaza. Calling all residents to main plaza. Operation Day."_

_She looked up at the direction of the voice and sighed._

_"I guess this goodbye," she said, her voice trembling. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears._

_"It's okay," I said gently. I pushed down any chance of crying. I walked towards her and hugged her._

_"I just want you to remember one thing, Molly. Wherever you go, you'll always be loved."_

_And before I could think, I kissed her. She tensed in surprise, but didn't pull away. We stood like that for a few moments before breaking off. We stared into each other's eyes one last time, and then she started walking away. And seeing her walk away was too much. As she vanished over the hill, I ran after her, until I reached the plaza. A man was at the front, checking names on a list._

_"I'm sorry, you tested positive, please go to the end of the line," the man said in a monotone to a small child at the front. I weaved through the line, hardly understanding what I was doing, until I reached the front. He opened the gate for some random kid who probably tested negative; and the instant the gate was open I rushed through it. The man yelled as I dashed in, running into the crowd and hiding behind a tree._

_I'll follow you, I thought determinedly. No matter where I go!_

* * *

Molly stared at Liam's face in shock as he retold the memory. His eyes kept displaying a wide range of emotions, his voice shaking more than once in certain parts, until he finally finished with a big breath, staring at her face expectantly, red-faced.

Molly looked at him, stunned, until finally the memory started trickling in, then poured in. She was utterly unprepared for the wave of feelings streaming in and the tears that had collected in her eyes started to fall. The pain, the fear, the sadness, was all so much more than she expected.

And then suddenly a small ball of white light floated over to her. Liam stopped holding her wings and stared at it.

"Liam-" she started, but suddenly several more balls of light swirled towards her, and Liam backed away.

"Whats going on?" she asked.

"I'm not sure."

The spheres kept coming, surrounding her, pulsating. She saw Liam squint from the brightness.

"Molly!" he called, but he sounded like he was underwater. The light bound together, forming a dome over her head of pure, blinding white. She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, she was in a white room. She blinked and looked around. She tried moving, but it felt like she was tied down to something, even though there was no rope or pole or chair in sight. This whole sensation was hauntingly familiar.

Suddenly, a creature appeared in front of her. Horror went through her body at its impossible-to-describe figure.

"The medicine!" Molly rasped. "I…what?! I beat you!"

"Molly," it said simply. Molly fell silent, staring at it.

"You never fought the medicine. All you fought was your tracker. I am the medicine, Molly. The final boss."

Molly stared at it, awed. "R-really?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for fooling you." Suddenly Molly felt something materialize in her hands. She looked down, and to her shock, it was a knife. A regular kitchen knife.

"Your journey comes to an end here," it continued. "Kill me."

"W-what?!"

"You must stab me with that knife."

"But…kill you…?"

"Do not worry. I am not sentient, however much I appear to be. Besides, I live on in the minds of your friends."

"But the cure…"

"Yes, I will die eventually, just like everything else. In fact, I am pleased you made it this far. I have tried helping you in many ways."

Molly frowned. "How so?"

"Many of your memories could not be reached by normal human capacity. I helped you there."

Molly remembered the strange feeling of a hand helping her reach out for her memories.

"That was you?"

"Yes. And a few other things that are irrelevant. Now I have released your bounds; you can kill me."

Molly felt the thing restraining her suddenly vanish. She took a step forward, knife in hand.

"Please," it said.

Molly tightened her hand around the knife. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. Please, Molly. I want to be released from my malicious origins. I am tired of manipulating minds."

Molly slowly pulled back her wing. "Well…if you're so positive…then…" she lunged forward and pushed in the knife. Her heart pounded. The medicine let out a sigh of relief, and started flaking away. Molly stared at it in shock as bits and pieces vanished away. Finally it was gone, and Molly heard the faintest whisper in her head.

_Thank you._

Molly opened her eyes sleepily. She was still in her dome of light, but the spheres started slowly departing from her, flitting into the sky and vanishing. Her body felt cold, everything was blurry, and she couldn't smell anything; but she was towering up now, and it hit her.

_I'm-It's…It's true! I'm…_

Liam was still sitting on the bricks, his eyes squeezed shut. Finally, all the light had vanished.

"Liam," Molly croaked. "Liam…open your eyes."

Liam cracked an eyelid open, and the rest flew open in shock.

"You're…"

_"I'm human!" _Molly cheered and ran towards Liam. Liam shut his eyes again and held out a present. It was covered in yellow wrapping paper and had a red ribbon.

"Where'd you get-"

"Open it," he said. She did so and inside was a pink, brown and yellow argyle skirt. On the tag it said _GracieGrace_©.

"Gracie? How'd you get something from her?" Molly gasped.

"Washed her car," he said with a grin. "And, uh, could you put it on…like, now? You're not wearing any pants."

Molly's face went red and she quickly pulled on the skirt. As she did so, she looked at her featherless, pink limbs.

"It's really true," she whispered. "I'm human."

Liam grinned and jumped towards her, hugging her. She stumbled, unused to human body parts.

"Calm down, you still have a concussion!" Molly said, but she was laughing.

"Come on, lets get you home," he said with a grin.

"Human senses are gonna take some getting used to," she said. "Everything is so blurry compared to being a duck. Same with pretty much all my other senses."

"Uh-huh. And the whole not being able to fly thing," Liam joked.

"Right." She smiled. "Um, could I have some help? If I try walking I'm probably going to fall over."

Liam laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "Sure, Molly. I'll help you."

* * *

**BAM! It's DONE! This is technically what you could call the end, but I still have two more chapters planned out. Get hyped! 8)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Eep, it almost physically hurts to post this chapter. I've been thinking about it since the story began, and I think it's safe to post this. Don't worry, this is _NOT the end_; it's more of a little bonus, taking place about a year after Chapter 22. And I'll make up for it being super short…the final chapter will be long! :)**

* * *

Molly pulled the shearling coat around her in an attempt to block out the wind. She trudged up the bleak, snowy hill; no residents were outside. It was simply too cold.

Molly held the bundle of dandelions tight to her chest. They were the ones that she had kept in her house for so long. Their bright yellow heads had faded out slightly and they hung a bit lower than most.

She kept walking, however, until she finally reached her destination. Liam's house loomed before her, silent and imposing. She opened the door.

Dust coated the furniture, and everything was eerily quiet. She could hear the wind howling against the windows. Molly shut the door behind her and began walking up the stairs. Her hands trembled slightly.

"Hey, Liam. It's me."

The shape on the bed moved slightly. Molly squeezed her bouquet.

"…Molly?" he mumbled, looking up. Molly tried to ignore the pallor of his face and his dead eyes.

No, they were not entirely dead, there was a wisp of smoke, a remnant of the blaze that was Liam. But he was just barely there, a grain of salt left in a shell.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered.

"You too." he sank back into the bed. Molly could hear his labored breathing from her spot at the base of the stairs. She walked closer.

"It's so unfair."

Liam glanced towards her, a ghost of a smile on his face. "I told you a million times. I tested positive, Molly. The plague would have to catch up with me at some point."

Molly flinched. How could he be so smooth with his words when he was dying?

"Alli and Gayle, they're still working on a cure…" she said faintly.

"It's okay, Molly."

Tears came to her eyes.

"Do you mind if I let go?" he said suddenly.

"W-what?" it took Molly a second, then, "Of course I mind! If you die, I'll slap you!"

Liam laughed, which lead off into a series of coughs. "But for real…"

Molly sighed. "Well…if you can't hold on…then let go."

Liam smiled at her, then noticed the bundle in her hand.

"Whats that?"

"They're…" her voice caught. "For you."

Liam held out his arms, which trembled madly as she deposited the dandelions in his hands. He pulled them close to his chest.

"Dandelions, huh?" he murmured, his voice slurring a bit. "You've always been a poetic sap, I suppose."

"Yeah." Molly looked down.

Liam looked up towards the ceiling.

"Thank you," he said. His smile wavered away, and his eyes closed.

"Liam," Molly started, suddenly beginning to panic. "Liam, just hold on, just for a little longer, please…" tears dropped down her cheek and she trembled.

He squeezed the dandelions. "Thank you," he repeated, opening his eyes. "For everything." he turned and looked up at the ceiling with a small smile, then closed his eyes once more.

The last thing she heard from him was a single, small exhale of relief.


	24. Chapter 24

Autumn.

The leaves spiraled down majestically, as if swinging on celestial vines; they were dyed every warm hue imaginable, from red brighter than strawberries, to orange deeper than carrot, and yellow, colored like pencils. The trees greedily held a few leaves that the season allowed them to keep, before Winter came along and stole them all. Of course, the colors was not the only thing Molly was admiring; she was mostly just staring at the tree she was sitting directly under. Occasionally, a leaf would fall on her head. She'd take it off, trace its outline with her fingers, wait until a strong wind would blow, then toss it into the air.

The tree above her was towering, covering almost the whole width of the plaza. Every time she sat on the square of bricks surrounding it, memories flowed gently into her mind, so unlike that of the medicine which shoved them into her brain hastily. She closed her eyes.

_"You're up early."_

_"I could say the same to you."_

_"Why are you up?"_

_"Just my routine. And you?"_

_"Nightmares."_

_"Of what?"_

_"Nevermind. You wouldn't remember."_

_"I'm not one to forget things. And what do you mean, remember?"_

_"I mean, I had nightmares. About you. And everyone in this village. And the whole concept. But you don't know why, do you?"_

She was faintly surprised that she remembered every detail of the conversation that happened so long ago, down to the way Liam looked down, gave a harsh laugh, and spoke so bitterly; the way she felt so hostile, so wary of him. Things had certainly changed since then.

_"Remember _us! _Remember yourself! You used to love to draw, remember? Chalk was your favorite! You loved to bake cookies. You hated dust and liked cleaning your room. You had toys and your best friend was Peanut. Don't you remember, Molly _Hills_?!"_

Molly opened her eyes. Hills. The name she had never forgotten. She looked down at her skin, her arms, her lack of wings. She smiled.

"What're you grinning about?"

Molly's head shot up and whirled around. There she saw the subject of her thoughts; the boy on the horizon, pale and slightly hunched, still with a bandage wrapped around his head. Molly smiled wider and stood up.

"Liam!" she called cheerfully. He slowly walked over to her.

"Hey, Molly," he said with all his old fire in his voice. "Check it out. Gayle finally gave me the OK to start moving around."

"Really? You're cured?" Molly felt tears in her eyes. She knew they were going to fall inevitably, considering the smile on his face, promising more news.

"For the most part, yep. I'll still have bad headaches and I'll never be as fast as I was before, but it's all good."

Molly hugged him, still grinning like an idiot. "The cure was there all along. The human race never saw it, did they?"

"I guess not. But they never would have found it, would they?"

"I suppose mixing dandelions with those two drugs Alli invented _is_ a pretty strange idea," Molly mused.

"Dandelions," Liam sighed, shaking his head. "Even the damn plague is a poetic sap."

Molly laughed, her arms still tightly wrapped around his shoulders.

"So, how's the other cure coming along?" Liam asked, trying to unwrap himself from Molly's grasp. She sighed.

"Alli and Gayle are still working hard on finding a cure for Chief and Peanut. The evil alligators did a strange Operation on them, you know; some kind of mutant medicine. It'll be a while before they're back."

Liam nodded quietly, then suddenly winced and sank onto the bricks. Molly sat next to him.

"You alright?"

"Yeah. My head's acting up a little." he glared at the ground. "Stupid concussion. I wish my brain would stop being such a baby and get over it." Molly laughed at this. Then she took a deep breath and tensed. She had a few things to tell him.

"Liam," Molly began carefully. "You were too sick to answer before, but…what was your father's name?"

Liam frowned, staring at Molly, pausing. "It was…oh, damn, don't tell me I can't even remember this." he closed his eyes, then instantly opened them, as if a lightbulb had gone off over his head. He snapped his fingers. "Oh. Right. It was Pironkon."

Molly's jaw dropped to the ground. "What?! He-" her throat suddenly closed up. _What?! Why him?!_

"Molly? Whats wrong?"

"P-Pironkon…he was one of the alligators who died…"

Liam's cheerful face suddenly hardened. "What?"

"The alligators, they all worked for the government in their past life…and Sly told me…Pironkon…" that was all Molly could get out. "I should've told you."

Liam looked away. "He was alive, even when he died, huh? And I never knew." his voice was raspy. Molly suddenly didn't want to deliver her next news.

"Well," Liam sighed. "I already thought he was dead, so…um, this might sound bad, but…I guess I'm not that shocked." he rubbed the back of his head. "But…he was here the whole time? He was on our side, and I never knew? That seems so unfair!" he pursed his lips and looked down at the cobblestones.

They stayed silent for a while, and Molly braced herself.

"Hey, Liam, I-"

"Well, Molly, um-"

They broke off awkwardly and laughed.

"You first," Molly said good-naturedly, when really she didn't want to say what she had to.

"Well, you know how Isabelle, Alli, and Gayle were running the town behind the scenes while I was…sick?"

"Mhm." 'Sick' was a gross understatement, but they didn't call attention to it.

"Well, since Isabelle has the same kind of Operation on her as Chief and Peanut, the alligator scientists are taking her away. And since Alli and Gayle know the most about it out of the survivors, they're going to be working with her. Which means I have no co-mayor with me." he took a deep breath, and suddenly Molly knew where the conversation was turning. She felt dizzy.

"Molly, I-can we be mayors…together?"

He sounded like a child, his voice hopeful. Molly steeled herself once more.

"Liam, I…I'd love to, and I'd say yes right away, but…"

Liam's eyes widened at her next words.

"…I'm leaving."

It was as if she had stabbed him. He jerked back and he even gasped slightly, which made Molly feel worse about it all the more.

"L-leaving?! Why?"

"I need to travel around this world, Liam. I need to distribute these cures out. Everyone in Solaris has already taken them, but no other town has it yet…we've waited so ridiculously long! And this isn't some place humans have created, Liam. There's probably new laws here, laws that didn't apply back home. And maybe there are other people like us who need help. There could be villages, maybe even cities…there's so much out there, and I can't stay here. I'm sorry." She said it all in one large breath, wanting it all out of her system. Liam just sat there, looking slightly shell-shocked.

"And who says I can't come with you?" he said slowly.

"You're the mayor of this town, Liam. You can't just leave."

His face was pained. "Leave…indefinitely?"

Molly shook her head furiously. "No, no, no! I'd visit! But for now, I have to go. My train, it's leaving this afternoon."

Liam's face fell. "This afternoon?! But I just got up! Molly, what-"

"Wait for me! I promise I'll come back to you, so wait for me!" Molly snapped. "While I'm gone, research as much as you can! See if there's any way to go back home. See if there's a better cure for the plague. See if you can get Pippy to stop bragging that she's dating Jacques, do whatever you can!"

"I can't, Molly! I need someone there, and you're the only one who can do it!" he fired back rapidly. "I'm still not a hundred percent! What happens if I get sick again? What will happen to Solaris?"

"Don't say that," Molly whispered.

"I need help. I've never been one to play hero, and you know it." his voice fell. "I could die, and you wouldn't realize, because you're off in some town, with-"

Molly stood up and yelled at him. "I will always help you! I will be by your side even if I'm on the goddamn _moon_, Liam! Don't be so selfish; you can't have me all to yourself."

They both fell silent, staring at each other.

"I'm sorry," Liam said softly.

"No…I'm the one who should be."

"You're right, Molly. I just realized something." Molly froze, waiting for a stinging remark, but he just jerked his head up with a wide grin. "I still have all my friends in Solaris. They can help me up, even if my best friend is gone!"

_Best friend. _"You got it. We'll be friends for as long as we live, even if we're in different dimensions, or not even the same species."

Liam got up and hugged her again. "So go out there, okay? Go out there and give everyone the cure. Go out there and reverse the curse that we put on ourselves."

Molly laughed. "Geez, talk about mood swing."

Liam pulled away, a mock hurt look on his face. "Concussion, Molly."

"Right."

They gave each other a thumbs-up, and Molly started moving towards the train station.

They never noticed the tears that had collected in both of their eyes.

* * *

And so, for the second time, all the residents in Solaris gathered at the train station. This time they weren't welcoming someone in; they were waving goodbye. Molly walked into the train station as their shouts of 'goodbye' and 'we'll miss you' trailed her from outside.

"I'll need your TPC," Porter said cheerfully. Molly handed it to him. He glanced at it with a frown.

"I'm sorry, but the name is blacked out."

Molly took it, puzzled, then looked at it closely. There it was; black marker scribbled where her name was. _How on earth did that get there? Who did that?_

"Sorry about that," she said cooly. She took the water bottle from her pocket and managed to wash it off. She handed it back to Porter. He looked at the name once more, just as the train started rolling in.

"Molly?" he checked. Molly nodded, a determined smile on her lips.

"Yep," she confirmed. "My name is Molly."

* * *

**And so ends the epic tale of some kid and a duck getting into trouble. Holy moly, I can't believe it's actually over. It's been SEVEN MONTHS since this story has started! This story has been an absolute joy to write and I appreciated every single review. But since I'm a poetic sap, I want the story to go for just a bit longer; I've neglected to answer most of your reviews, and here's why! The 'final' chapter will be a Q&amp;A, where I will answer ANY question you have about the story as long as it fits the T rating. Why? Because, knowing myself, I probably left fifty loose ends untied! Ask away!**


	25. Q&A

**aha yes i have finally stopped procrastinating and now i will answer your questions. the entire THREE of them. xD oh well, I wasn't expecting much, this is the Animal Crossing section! ANYWAY.**

* * *

To all the _Will there be a sequel/when's the sequel? _questions:

I have no plans to write a sequel, but knowing myself, there probably will be one in the far future. One, the story just ended (You guys were asking for a sequel before the story even finished! Patience, grasshoppers), and two, i have literally no clue what'd the sequel be about. I'm pretty sure Molly traveling the world with shots of Liam's shenanigans in Solaris would make a nice drabble or one-shot, but not a whole story. Unless you guys want it. B) (of course, I could also make something completely unrelated to Molly and Liam, instead a fanfic about a person already in this whole alternate universe…which…i realized i haven't even named yet…oops.)

TWO DAYS LATER: *ahem* I LIED. I am working on a sequel, and I have no clue where it's going, but it's coming. Don't get hyped yet though, I'm planning to write several chapters, or even the whole story, before publishing anything.

* * *

To _what are the two drugs that Alli and Gayle mixed with the dandelions? _

aaah okay I honestly have no idea! They were simply two drugs they found/knew about in the labs of the alligators. I'm not very sciencey, which is why the logic in this fic is all over the place, but I'm gonna say that they were two drugs that reacted with each other and produced a whole new chemical when combined with the dandelions.

* * *

To _Where'd you get your inspiration?_

Oh wow, good question. I wrote this story nearly 8 months ago, but I know it was triggered by all those "what if the animals come from a war from the humans" theories. The idea was originally a large war which resulted in the animals being created, but then that morphed into Molly on a train. Which, let me just say, everything after Chapter 5 was winged. Yeah. Thats why this story was so, again, all over the place. I have a horrible habit of coming up with an idea, writing it, publishing it, THEN wondering where the heck the story's gonna end up.

Well, as you can see, I'm starting to ramble. So lets wrap this up. Check out my other stories; they're mostly Fullmetal Alchemist fanfics now, I haven't played Animal Crossing in a month or two to be honest, but if you're into that go check it out!

Who knows, I might act on some of the ideas I've had…including a girl going into a coma and being transported to the world of Animal Crossing, or one centering around Harriet. Nobody likes Harriet. :c

Until next time! -Gummysaur


End file.
